IB 





Class. 



Book 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 









Return to Nature!" — Adolf Just. 



Hsn't it IReasonable to Suppose 

that the only Health Magazine in America authorized to publish 
"Return to Nature" in serial form would be best qualified to expound, 
prescribe and illustrate the Just Cure? 

The name of the Magazine is '"Naturopath," and it might almost 
be called a monthly supplement to this bcok. 

The editor of "Naturopath" writes, speaks and acts from experi- 
ence only. Having conquered chronic invalidism in his own person 
through the teachings of Kneipp, Rikli, Kuhne, Priessnitz, Lahman, 
Just, and the other German Naturists, he returned to America ex- 
pressly commissioned to represent these systems in their true light to 
all America. 

The testimony of personal proof is what stamps this Magazine 
with an underscored efficiency — we know because we have tried. 

Other Health journals present with due propriety a few timid 
truths that doubtless comfort feeble souls. 

"Naturopath" tells the exact truth, so far as known, and puts 
?nough energy, cheer and inspiration in the telling to animate you for 
action. 

We honestly believe we love folks — as well as cherishing a pet 
r heory. 

Every issue of "Naturopath" contains one or more articles on ap- 
plied Nature-Cure by leading German authorities, contributions em- 
jodying New Thought teachings by American psychologists, sug- 
gestions for Simpler Living and Healthy Homes, Helps for Mothers 
<nd Children, Hints on Diet, Physical Culture Department, Book Re- 
views, Quotations from current Progress literature, and Advice for 
lome-Cure. 

Naturopathic prescription free to all regular subscribers. See 
special clubbing offer for reduced rate on various Naturist and New 
Thought publications. 

If you are just simply curious, you may perhaps feel like risking 
10 cents on a sample copy of "Naturopath." 

But if you are genuinely interested in Truth, Health and Progress, 
you would prefer a three months' subscription for 20 cents. 

It takes at least three numbers for you to begin to comprehend 
the breadth of our horizon. 

The only sure way of not forgetting it is to hie you post-haste 
to your writing-desk and mail the order while the desire is warm. 

Published Monthly. Subscription $1.00 a year in the United 
States, Canada and Mexico. Foreign countries $1.50. German or 
English Editions. Back volumes, English, from 1900 F., $1.00; bound, 
$1.50. Back volumes, German, from 1898 F., $1.00; bound, $1.50. 

" NATUROPATH " 

124 East 59th Street, NEW YORK CITY, U. S. A. 

Benedict Lust, Editor and Publisher. 



Benedict £u$t'$ naturopathic Institute, 124 6, 5«l)$t., n< V. 




NO MEDICINES 
NOR OPERATIONS 

Radical Cures 
By the Latest 
Natural Healing 
methods 



SUnnER BRANCH 
Just and 

Kneipp 
Naturopathic 
Sanitarium 
"Jungborn" 

BELLEVUE, 
BUTLER, N. J. 



BENEDICT LUST, Naturopathic Physician, 

EDITOR OF THE NATUROPATH AND HERALD OF HEALTH 
PRINCIPAL OF NATUROPATHIC SCHOOL OF REGENERATION 

Here will be found all the latest improvements of the Modern 
Healing Art. The bathrooms are large and airy, and are furnished 
according to our own system with every comfort. 

In this Institute will be admitted all Invalids, Reconvalescents and 
Sufferers from Chronic Diseases of the Nervous System, Diseases of 
the Breathing Organs, Diseases of the Digestive Organs, Diseases of 
the Kidneys, Liver and Heart, Diseases of the Genital Organs, All 
Children's Diseases, Female Diseases, etc., etc. Mrs. B. Lust, a 
graduated Naturopathic Physician, has been a specialist for five years 
treating all Female Diseases. She treats all cases without operations 
or vaginal rings, and has always had the best success in treating 
Female Disorders. 

The Healing Treatment consists of Just's and Kneipp's Methods, 
Dietetics, Massage and Physical treatment. 

Special healing factors are: Just System, Kneipp-Cure, Hydro- 
thermo-therapy, Massage, German and Swedish Healing Gymnastic 
Movements, Light, Air and Sun-Baths, Diet, Suggestion, Psycho- 
therapy, etc. 

The physicians of the Institute are Naturopathic Physician B. 
Lust and another medical practitioner. 

Consultation hours daily from 9 — 11 a. m. and from 5 — 8 p.m.; 
Sundays, 9 — 12 a. m, Institute is open from 6 a. m. to 9 p. m. daily; 
Sundays, 7 a. m. to 1 p. m. Outside patients treated and visited. 

Write for prospectus, 
BENEDICT LUST, Naturopathic Physician, 124 East 59th Street, New York City, or Butler, N. J. 



RETURN TO NATURE! 



The True Natural Method of Healing and Living 

and 
The True Salvation of the Soul. 



Paradise Regained 

By ADOLF JUST. 



THE CARE OF THE BODY— WATER, HUMAN CURATIVE 

POWER, LIGHT, ATR, EARTH, FOOD, 

FRUIT CULTURE. 



AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION 
FROM THE FOURTH ENLARGED GERMAN EDITION 

by Benedict Lust, Naturopath. 

Editor of " The Naturopath and Herald of Health," Director 

and Proprietor of the American Jungborn, 

Bellevue, Butler, N. J. 



VOLUME I 



PUBLISHED BY 

THE TRANSLATOR, B. LUST, 124 EAST 59th STREET, 

NEW YORK, U. S. A. 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

JAN 8 i904 

ICopy^Entr^ 
CLASS A- XXc. No. 
1 COPY S 



COPYRIGHTED 1903 

BY 

BENEDICT LUST, NEW YORK, 

AND 

REGISTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL, 
LONDON, ENGLAND. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



New York 
; THE VOLUNTEER PRESS 




38 Cooper Square 



— vii — 

DEDICATION. 

TN T translating the present work I had in mind that large num- 
ber of the English speaking people of the world who are 
to-day suffering under the lash of medical superstition, 
quackery and charlatanism; men and women and children who 
for want of proper education and understanding are groping 
about in darkness, and are constantly being imposed upon by 
human vipers who live and thrive upon the suffering and ignor- 
ance of their less fortunate fellowmen. "Return to Nature" was 
written by a man humanely inclined, and with a heart for the 
lowly as well as for all men who work towards the betterment 
of Humanity. May this volume be the means of spreading and 
propagating, health, peace and happiness, hope, faith and en- 
lightenment in the thousand homes. It was in this spirit I under- 
took its translation and with this wish I respectfully dedicate it 
to the English-speaking people of America, and throughout the 
world. 

The Translator. . 



Naturopathic Sanitarium "Jungborn." 

BENEDICT LUST, Director & Proprietor 



POST OFFICE : 

BUXLER, N. J 



RAILROAD STATION: 

BUTTER, N. J 



Teleg. Address: 

LUST, 
BUTLER, N. J. 



Tel. Connection 



For country- 
messengers an 
additional fee of 
25 cents is to be 
prepaid at the 
Telegraph Office. 



Butler is a 
station on the 
New York, 
Susquehanna 
and Western 
Railroad. 



THE JUNGBORN 

was founded 
in 1896. ' 



AMERICAN 

Mof j$er Inditufo 

OF THE NEW AND TRUE 

Nature Cure. 



AN IDEAL PLACE 

Near Echo, Greenwood and 
Pompton Lakes, in the most 
beautiful parts of the Ramapo 
Mountains, the Highlands of 
New Jersey. 



Greater ana Quicker Successes 



Than by any of the preceding 
Nature Cure Methods. 



NEW 

PICTURESQUE 

PARKS, 

SPLENDID 

SPRINGS, 

GRAND 

CASCADES. 



Large 

Reconstructions 



Property more 
than fifty 
acres in 
circumference, 
enlarged and 
improved. 
At the entrance 
of the lovely 
and well 

protected Grace 
Valley. 

Greatly 
enlarged in 
1898 and 1904. 



Most romantically situated on the top of a hill, about 15 minutes 
walk from the depot, "Jung-born" comprises a large area of woodland, 
laid out with shady walks along two picturesque brooks of clear 
water, known as Grace Valley Brook, and Regeneration Brook, and 
with its beauty-spots in the shape of quiet nooks, sheltered from the 
sun, its numerous springs along the hillside, its grand view into the 
Ramapo Mountains, is an ideal resort for lovers of nature. 



TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION. 

Motto • Nature ever shows the true and perfect way, 

Therefore learn betimes ne'er from her paths to stray. 

The Simpler Life is the demand of the hour. The con- 
fusions of a complex civilization., the disintegration of the old- 
fashioned home, the distractions of international discord, the per- 
plexity of the individual mind wavering between the evolution 
of Science and the revolution of Theology — all these disturbing 
elements have settled moodily into a sense of universal unrest, 
that pervades the mingled atmosphere of nations. 

Poets, preachers, philosophers, even diplomatists and poli- 
ticians have propounded causes and proposed cures innumerable. 
But the dream of Individual Peace and Universal Harmony is 
as yet but a beautiful vision of prophetic revelation. And real- 
ization seems too remote to reckon with. 

Simply because we humans have persistently sought Peace 
from external conditions. 

One single attainment would bring the concept from the 
clouds into the concrete — Be at peace with yourself. 

This is not moralizing. 

Nor philosophizing. 

Nor rhapsodizing. 

It is the energizing impulse that constrained Adolph Just 
to renounce the grimy smoke, mental fog and moral miasma of 
artificial civilization and seek from the clear pure horizon-vantage 
of Nature the secret of Health, Happiness and Universal One- 
ness. 

This book reveals the secret. 

It is so simple, easy and unpretentious that the world's great- 
est scientists, doctors and savants have quite overlooked it. 

Would you be whole, in body, mind and spirit? Would 
you live to be twice threescore-and-ten, each year growing 
younger, happier, better? 

Would you feel consciously superior to cooks, doctors, drug- 
gists and undertakers, and everlastingly immune to all forms of 



Dis-ease? Would you, incidentally, halve the cost of living, and 
lift housewifery from the drudging routine of three-meals-a-day- 
and-a-lunch to the imperial freedom of meal-time abolished? 

Would you evolve from a wretched, dyspeptic, fearful pessi- 
mist into a cheery, strong, courageous optimist? 

Would you thrill in tune with every bird and flower and rill 
in "God's great out-of-doors," finding your own divinity reflected 
in every living thing? 

Would you become the supreme embodiment of Health, 
Beauty, Grace, Power, Truth, Wisdom, Love? 

Then return to Nature — that's all. For Nature is the true 
interpreter of the Infinite : no other voice whispers truths so 
potent to awaken, arouse and inspire Humanity. 

But one word more as regards my functions as Editor of the 
English Edition. Animated by a deep spirit of veneration and 
respect for the humanitarian author, Adolf Just, I have made but 
very few alterations and corrections. I have ventured to amend 
the translation in so far only as it appeared to me to be indis- 
pensable for the better understanding of the English and Amer- 
ican public. 

In conclusion I give expression to the sincere wish that 
every reader of this book may be as much benefited by "Return- 
ing to Nature" as I have been. 

BENEDICT LUST, 

Naturopathic Physician, 

American "Jungb'orn" Butler, N. J., U. S. A., 
July 4th, 1903. 



PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 

I publish my book in celebration of the opening of the 
Jungborn. 

The vernal sun is again shining in the sky, the gloomy 
Winter is gone. Snow and ice have yielded to the warm, bright 
sun, new life is sprouting in field and meadow, in wood and glen, 
the Easter bells are tolling, the festival of the resurrection has 
come. 

I wish at the same time to add a friendly Easter greeting 
to all those who have already emerged from darkness to light, 
to all those whom my book may happily lead out of gloomy, 
dark, desolate, frosty paths into bright, sunny cheerfulness, to 
all my friends far and near. 

AD. JUST. 

Jungborn, Stapelburg in the Harz, 
Easter, 1896. 



PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION. 

When I had finished the first edition of this book, and sent 
it as a message of glad tidings into a world full of disease and 
suffering, full of worry and restlessness, full of misery and un- 
happiness, the earth was putting forth its first green, and resur- 
rection songs filled the air. 

Three years have passed since then, men have not despised 
the glad tidings, but received them with joy and enthusiasm. 
The Jungborn, which is the heart and main artery of the enter- 
prise, already blooms and prospers. 

But in the meantime it has become necessary to expand and 
perfect my book in important respects. 

W r hile I am engaged on this fourth and enlarged edition, 
nature appears in her brightest colors. Solemnly and joyously 
the bells are announcing the festival of Pentecost. The spirit 
of Pentecost is about to descend. 

During the past three years my cause has become widely 
known all over the world. But the cause is nothing without the 



spirit. In many places the true spirit is still wanting ; sometimes, 
indeed, even an unclean spirit threatens to beset the cause. 

May this new edition, with its many improvements, foster 
and spread the true spirit! 

Filled by this sincere wish I send these old and many new 
teachings once more into the world, to all men and women who 
are seeking and longing, who are weeping and lamenting, who 
are groaning and sighing. 

ADOLF JUST. 
Jnngborn, Stapelburg in the Harz, 
Pentecost, 1899. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Dedication v 

Translator's Preface to English Edition ix 

Preface to the First Edition xi 

Preface to the Fourth Edition xi 

The Voices of Nature 1 

The Primitive and the Present Condition of Mankind 2 

How I was led to a true Natural Method of Healing 3 

Reason and Science, and the Voices of Nature 6 

The Jungborn, its Purposes 8 

The Natural Bath 10 

The old Natural Method of Healing and the true Natural 

Method of Healing 11 

Vincent Priessnitz 14 

Mistakes of past Water Applications and the incorrectness of 

Full-Baths 14 

The Bath of the Animals in the natural state 16 

The Natural Bath of Man, its Description 18 

Details of the Natural Bath 20 

The Origin of Acute and Chronic Diseases 24 

The Effect of the Natural Bath 23 

Goethe's "Faust" 26 

The Application of the Natural Bath and its Significance. ... 23 

Wounds 46 

Operations 46 

Rubbing and Stroking of the Body 48 

Cures by Stroking of women and men (shepherds, etc.) in the 

country 49 

Masseurs and Masseuses 50 

The Application of Human Healing Power after the Natural 

Bath 51 

The Explanation of the Curative Effects of Rubbing and 

Stroking 52 

Who is gifted with Human Healing Power? 53 

AVhat more is to be considered in the application of human 

Healing Power 53 

Light and Air 54 

Light and Air, the true vitalizing Agents 55 

The great mistakes and omissions of the past, with regard to 

Light and Air, and their Consequences 58 

The true and perfect application of Light and Air (the Light- 

and-Air Bath ) 60 

Light-and-Air bathing Details 61 

The Sunbath 65 

Light-and-Air Huts and Cottages 66 

Injurious Gaslight 67 

Our Clothing 71 

The way clothes should be made 71 



Health Shirts, Shoes, Sandals, Stockings, Gloves, Suspenders 72 

Trousers for Men and Women 74 

The Corset 75 

Swathing clothes for Children 76 

Going Bareheaded 77 

The Purpose of Clothes 79 

Jesus and Clothes 80 

Furniture 82 

Curtains 83 

Beds '. 84 

Earth Power 85 

Man and his relation to the Earth 85 

The Myth of Antaeus 86 

The significance of Ancient Myths 86 

The -Bible 86 

Sleeping on the Ground 88 

Fakse use of Reason, Science 89 

The great significance of Going Barefooted 93 

Additional directions for Sleeping on the Bare Ground 98 

The present need of sleep, a consequence of unnatural 

living 96 

Details with regard to Sleeping on the Bare Ground 102 

How can one daily exploit the Earth-power? 102 

The Fear of Catching Cold 103 

Further Remarks on the Origin of Acute and Chronic Dis- 
eases, and the significance of Air with regard to them. . . 106 
The injuriousness and danger of the Fear of Catching Cold . . 110 

Earth Bandages and Earth Compresses 119 

The Rationale of Earth Bandages and Earth Compresses .... 119 

The great significance of Earth Bandages 119 

Directions for Earth Bandages 121 

No Blood Poisoning through Earth Bandages 121 

Earth Compresses 122 

Significance and Application of Earth Compresses 123 

Directions for Earth Compresses 124 

Earth and Sand Baths 126 

Earth and Clay as Skin Purifiers 127 

How Shall we Bury Our Dead? 129 

Nutrition According to Nature 132 

Science and the Question of Nutrition 132 

Fruits, Man's Natural Food 134 

The greater and lesser Disadvantages of the Foods hitherto 

used 136 

Fruit Diet 137 

Fruits alone contain healing juices 139 

The Nut our Chief Food 139 

Milk, Bread, Vegetables, and other transitional Foods 140 

The great mistakes of Contemporary Vegetarians 142 

Dr Densmore and his Teachings 144 

Unripe Fruits 145 

Vegetables and leguminous foods 146 

Tropical fruits 147 

Sugar very injurious 147 

Details with regard to nutrition according to Nature 148 

Ought man to Drink?. 149 



What ought we to Drink? 150 

Effect of a Natural Diet upon the Soul 154 

The myth of the Danaids and the Hydra 155 

Sexual sensuality, Modesty, Prudery, and True Morality.... 156 

Jesus and Nutrition According to Nature 156 

Natural Mode of Life the foundation of the Scheme of Jesus 157 

John the Baptist and his Food 159 

The Bible and the Natural Food 161 

Meat and Alcohol ,. 163 

Man is not a Beast of Prey 163 

Climate 165 

The use of Alcohol occasioned by the use of Meat 166 

The danger of Alcohol 167 

The Bible, Jesus, and the Meat Diet 167 

The Tree of the "Knowledge of Good and Evil" 168 

Did Jesus partake of the Easter Lamb? 171 

What is the Serpent in Paradise? 173 

Jesus and Alcohol 174 

Fire 174 

Fire the origin of Civilization and Anti-naturalism 174 

The myth of Prometheus 175 

Cooked Food, Warm Baths, etc 176 

The significance of Living on Raw Fruit 177 

Cinderella 178 

When Ought we to Eat? 180 

The directions of Nature with regard to the Time of Eating 180 

The significance of the Holy Communion 181 

The Natural Food, Care, and Education of Children 182 

The Duties of a pregnant Woman 183 

Immorality within Marriage 184 

The care of new-born Children 184 

Milk as food for Children 186 

The fear of Bacilli 186 

Fruit as food for Children 187 

Jesus and the Children 189 

Vaccination 190 

Prevention of the great Dangers of Vaccination 191 

Serum and Diphtheria 191 

Children's Diseases 192 

Specific present-day Dangers and Sufferings of Children.... 192 

The Dress of Children 193 

The only true Education of Children 195 

School Education 195 

The Calling which Children are to Choose 196 

Cases and Cures 197 

What value attaches in general to testimonials of Cures? 197 

Inflammatory Rheumatism 198 

Serious Nervous Diseases 198 

Serious Trouble in the Head and Deafness 199 

Serious Stomach Trouble and Tuberculosis of the Spinal Cord 201 

Retention of the Urine, incipient Dropsy 201 

A high degree of Nervousness 203 

Pneumonia 203 

Disturbance of the Digestive Function 203 

Dropsy 204 



— xvi — 

Throat Trouble 204 

Scab on the Head 204 

Tuberculosis of the Spinal Cord 205 

Toothache 205 

Tuberculosis of the Bones 206 

Typhoid Fever 206 

General Debility 207 

Convulsions 207 

Fistula of the Rectum 208 

Blindness 208 

Cholera Nostras, or Diarrhoea 209 

Sexual Disease 210 

The Dangers of Sexual Aberrations and the present false treat- 
ment of Sexual Diseases 211 

Diabetes 212 

Boils 213 

Chronic Headache 215 

Tetter 215 

Snake-bite Poisoning 215 

Disease of the Spinal Cord and Obesity 216 

Chronic Inflammatory Rheumatism 217 

Miscellaneous; rejuvenation, intellectual vigor the result of 

true Natural Healing 218 

Large wound from the Bite of a dog 218 

War, a Curse to Mankind 219 

The significance of Earth Bandages in War 220 

Influenza 221 

General Remarks on Cases and Reports of Cures 222 

General Directions with regard to the application of the 

Natural Method of Healing in every case of Sickness. . . . 223 

The Fear of Infectious Diseases 227 

The Freedom of Man 228 

Sea and Mineral Baths, High Altitude Sanitaria . ... 228 

When Ought we to Submit to a Natural Cure? 229 

The ancient Germans, once the strongest Men in the World. . 231 

My Relation to the Old Method of Natural Healing 231 

All innovation and progress in the Natural Method of Healing 
are in the beginning always opposed by the adherents of 

Natural Healing 232 

The Mistakes of the prevailing Natural Methods of Healing. . 233 

Everyone his own Doctor.. , 237 

The Errors and Dangers of all Medical Examinations 238 

The great Importance of Everybody being his own Doctor and 

enjoying perfect Liberty 240 

Truth and Honesty in the Natural Method of Healing 241 

Trust in God and Charity 243 

Agriculture, Fruit Culture, Veterinary Science and Vivisection.. 246 

Agriculture and its latest Mistakes 247 

The Poverty of Agriculture 248 

Fruit Culture instead of Agriculture 250 

The Cultivation of Nuts 251 

The original Food of the ancient Germans 252 

True Natural Veterinary Science 253 

Mistakes and Crimes in the Breeding of Animals 254 

The terrible Cruelties and Horrors of Vivisection 256 



Mental and Physical Work, Fruit Culture, and Sport 257 

Rest and Work 257 

Mental work detrimental 258 

Sport (gymnastics, bicycling, etc.) contrary to Nature 261 

Physical Work 262 

The Great Significance of Fruit Culture 263 

Happy Homes 263 

Goethe's Mistake (in "Faust") with regard to a Natural Life 265 

Civilization. Science, Art, and true human Happiness 268 

The Family, the Home, and the Country 269 

The Family and Marriage of Civilized Man 270 

Love and conjugal happiness in a true Natural Life 271 

At Home and Abroad 272 

The Love of one's Country 272 

The Emperor 273 

Ideals and Poetry 274 

Contemporary mankind without Ideals 274 

Science and Poetry 274 

The Poetry of the Bible 275 

Conclusion 277 

The Soul's Life 277 

Supplement 281 

The Arrangements, Aims and Purposes of the Jungborn. The 
Contents and the Significance of the following volumes 

(Vols. I and II) of my Work 283 



THE VOICES OF NATURE 



In communicating my ideas concerning health, the cure of 
disease, and human happiness I am merely obeying a serious, 
powerful, inner command. 

Man originally came from the hand of the Creator absolutely 
healthy and good, without any blemish in body and soul. The 
handiwork of the almighty, all-good, and all-wise Creator cc/tid /! 
not indeed have been from the start an imperfect and defective, a 
diseased and sinful, a miserable and unhappy being. 

In paradise man lived originally free from sin and disease, 
in perpetual joy and unclouded happiness. But man lost paradise — 
was driven from it. The ancient myths, especially the myths 
concerning paradise, which we find among all civilized peoples, 
embody the profoundest truths regarding the original state of 
man and the primitive history of mankind. 

True health is no longer met with among mankind. Every- 
where on earth disease and decadence stare at us in infinite 
variety. From the cradle to the grave men are beset by pain and 
suffering in all their forms. Not nobility of soul and brotherly 
love, but hate, envy, jealousy, brutality, vice, and crime rule in 
the world. It may truly be said that we behold contemporary 
man only in care and sorrow, in misery and suffering, in unhappi- 
ness and despair. 

I, too, have had to drain the cup of suffering to the dregs. 
A serious nervous trouble, the disease of the century, and which 
was caused chiefly through inheritance, began early to undermine 
my health. 

During this period I passed through all the phases of misery 
and unhappiness, and, as already remarked, was obliged to drain 
the cup of suffering to the dregs. 

My ailment was a very serious one, all remedies, including 



— 1 — 

those of the nature cure, proved unavailing, or at best gave only 
slight relief. 

The greatest distress compelled me to pursue my studies 
farther and farther, in search of truth and help, and in this way 
I discovered the only sure path to health and happiness, and the 
only effective remedies. By passing through this severe school 
of suffering I am perhaps the better fitted to preach the truth to 
my fellowmen and to point out to them the true cure and help. 
Since 1, too, have passed through all the mistaken paths along 
which mankind is journeying to-day, I am perhaps the better 
fitted to raise a cry of warning and lead my fellowmen away from 
them. 

I intend to show in the following pages in what way alone 
we may escape all illness and suffering, and thoroughly cure' all 
pain and disease. But we shall then see that in this way we can 
also free ourselves of all sinful impulses, of vice and despair, find 
rest and peace of mind, and return to true religion and to God. 

I do not intend to write a book of precepts on health and 
happiness according to some artistically conceived plan, but I 
shall communicate my views simply and precisely in the same 
order in which, after much wandering, I came upon the path that 
led me to nature, and consequently to health. 

In my sufferings I naturally consulted, first, the old-school 
physicians. I called on celebrated doctors and university pro- 
fessors, but they could not help me. 

In the direst distress and despair I finally lost the high 
opinion of science which I had acquired through education and 
schooling. What did I care for science; in my despair I wanted 
help and nothing but help. 

I now heard of the good results of the nature cure method, 
and turned to it. I began to go barefoot, to apply Kneipp 
douches, Kuhne baths, packs, steam baths, massage, vegetarian 
diet, etc. This for the first time gave me real relief and im- 
proved my condition. But I wished to go still further along this 
line, to achieve still greater success, to reach indeed the highest 
aim. 



I placed my greatest hope in the nature cure method. By fol- 
lowing it with the greatest perseverance I wished to regain my 
health, the highest happiness. 

But finally my confidence was undermined and shaken. The 
realization of my high hopes, my complete recovery, was still de- 
layed. Besides, I saw so much quarreling and controversy 
among the individual champions of the nature cure method. One 
or another process was represented as false, or even injurious. 

Were the opponents right or wrong? Could it be that the 
nature cure method was even harming me? Or were all my sacri- 
fices again in vain ? If I got no help from the nature cure, where 
then w T as I to place my faith? Was I simply to resign myself to 
my fate? The dissensions among the nature cure people were 
at least suspicious. 

These trying doubts cost me much distress, and I know that 
many patients have suffered greatly from similar depressing and 
tormenting doubts. 

At that time, in my wandering and despair, there suddenly 
appeared a bright star which I have steadily followed ever since, 
and which has brought the greatest and most significant change 
into my life. I greatly desire that before long it may become the 
guiding star also of all mankind, who would then no longer lan- 
guish under the heavy burden of disease and invalidism. 

Who tells the children of nature in distant countries, the 
animals of the woods how they are to bathe, what they are to eat, 
and how to aA^oid danger? The voices of nature alone: instinct 
and the organs of sense (the sense of hearing, smelling, tasting, 
etc.) are their guides. 

"Man while he striveth is prone to err. 

—Goethe, "Faust." 

We can therefore never expect to get any correct informa- 
tion from the men of to-day (not even from their writings) con- 
cerning our welfare and happiness. 

Neither can we allow men to teach us the care of our health 
and the curing of our diseases. 



But nature docs not err ; she is still the only one to teach us 
what is right. 

Men who no longer listen to the voice of nature become the 
victims of a thousand different diseases and miseries. But the 
creatures of pure nature, on the other hand, the animals of our 
forests, are free from sickness and from everything else as well 
that corresponds to the sins and vices of mankind. 

".. . . Every prospect pleases, 
And only man is vile." 

— Heber. 

To-day, indeed, there is not a spot left where man has not 
interfered with nature* for the worse. Therefore we may find 
even in free nature, in the forest among plants and animals, single 
instances of taint and disease, but these are still so rare, compared 
with the infinite sufferings and the great misery of mankind that 
the words of the poet quoted above still hold good. 

The creatures of nature are, indeed, free from disease. But 
they also fall easy victims to it as soon as they are withdrawn 
from unmolested nature, and no longer stand in the relation to light 



*Man in his misguidance has powerfully interfered with nature. 
He has devastated the forests, and thereby even changed the atmos- 
pheric conditions and the climate. Some species of plants and ani- 
mals have become entirely extinct through man, although they were 
essential in the economy of nature. Everywhere the purity of the air 
is affected by smoke and the like, and the rivers are defiled. These 
and other things are serious encroachments upon nature, which men 
nowadays entirely overlook, but which are of the greatest import- 
ance, and at once show their evil effect not only upon plants but 
upon animals as well, the latter not having the endurance and power 
of resistance of man. 

To him who cannot see the defects caused by man himself, and 
who doubts the absolute perfection of nature, one is tempted to say: 
"Thy sense is shut, thy heart is dead: 

Disciple, up! untiring, hasten 
To bathe thy breast in morning-red !' ; 

— Goethe, "Faust." 



— 5 — 

and air, earth and water, and no longer receive the nourishment 
appointed for them by nature. Therefore our domestic animals 
are much more subject to sickness than the animals of the forest. 

When we look at nature with an open, unprejudiced, mind, 
and are not blinded by the teachings of science, we must arrive 
at the clear conclusion that man has become sick and miserable 
only because he no longer heeds the VOICES OF naturic, and has 
thus everywhere transgressed the laws of nature, and lost his 
way. 

Nature is forever unassailable in her justice; she punishes 
every transgression of her laws, but likewise rewards every re- 
turn to obedience. 

In all cases, and in all diseases, therefore, man can recover 
and again become happy only by a true return to nature : man 
must to-day strenuously endeavor, in his mode of living, to heed 
again the voice of nature, and thus choose the food that nature 
has laid before him from the beginning, and to bring himself 
again into the relation with water, light and air, earth, etc., that 
nature original!}' designed for him. 

Nature speaks intelligibly and gives her precepts plainly to 
all creatures ; to the animals as well as to man. 

Nature does not intend man to remain in such great ignor- 
ance and confusion 'concerning the true course of life and the 
true methods of cure that he will fall out with his fellowmen in 
discussing these subjects and become a victim of tormenting care 
and doubt. We must only no longer listen to men, but go for in- 
formation to nature. 

But nature speaks in a different manner than man. She 
offers her lessons not in books, not in dusty tomes ; she expresses 
her will to her creatures plainly and clearly through instinct, 
the organs of sense, etc. 

In addition to these, rational man is also gifted with con- 
science. 

Primitive peoples in distant parts of the earth still preserve 
these only safe and sure guides on the road of life. It is well 
known that these children of nature are gifted with such keen 



- 6 — 

organs of sense (seeing, tasting, hearing, etc.) and such sure 
instinct as to readily recognize all danger and all things harmful 
to them. 

These primitive people recognize, for instance, quite plainly 
every poisonous plant without ever having studied botany or 
indeed anything else. 

Civilized mankind, consisting of the more highly developed 
human race, originally also followed the only safe guiding stars 
on the sea of life, and escaped all suffering and disease as long- 
as they persisted in this course. But there lurked a danger for 
them in their higher intelligence. 

Man is gifted with intelligence that he may recognize, in 
contradistinction to the animals, his connection with God, God's 
goodness and love, and enter into filial relation with God and lead 
a higher life. His intelligence constitutes his highest excellence. 

But man used his intelligence for the purpose of separating 
himself from nature; he early refused to listen to the voices of 
nature, and followed the inspirations of his reason. He wished 
to be teacher and law-giver on his own part, and made of him- 
self "the little God of the earth." With the aid of his reason, 
his intellectual "faculties," he engaged in special, arduous studies 
and researches, on which he reared a system of laws according to 
which he arranged his life, his food, his clothing, his labor, edu- 
cation, etc. Civilization began. 

Out of this false use of his reason grew science. In this 
way science rests on error and is followed by disaster. 

We shall here especially consider the science of medicine, 
with its teachings and demonstrations in chemistry, anatomy, 
physiology, etc. 

The voices of nature have always been true to man, but 
science is the cunning serpent in paradise which deceived man 
from the start, led him astray, and gave him false instruction. 

The more man listened to the teachings of science, especially 
of medicine, the more he became a victim of disease and misfor- 
tune, although science was extolled from the beginning as the 



— 7 - 

dispenser of happiness and blessings.* 

The only way, therefore, how man can be cured of his dis- 
eases with certainty and can again secure entire happiness is to 
abjure science and all things scientific. 

It is very difficult, to be sure, to protect one's self altogether 
from this cunning serpent at present; for men have been obliged 
to listen to science from early childhood, and have imbibed its 
poison from innumerable books ; many have sacrificed their en- 
tire fortune and their health to science, — in short, men every- 
where have worshipped at the feet of this celebrated goddess. 

When man is just beginning to allow himself to be guided 
once more by nature, in a simple manner, without any doubts 
and subtleties, the cries and exclamations of science are heard 
to interfere from all sides. In hygiene and pathology then the 
talk is of bacilli, albuminous matter, nutritive salts, colds, etc., 
etc. Man is then easily led astray again. 

Let man therefore be guided solely by the voices of nature 
(instinct, conscience, organs of sense, etc.). 

It may be objected that it is easy to see how the animals are 
safely guided by their instinct, but it is hard to understand how 
for the present man can be led by nature in the same manner. 

To be sure, man has not listened to the voices of nature for 
a long time. Instinct and conscience have consequently grown 
silent, and the organs of sense have become weakened. But 
nevertheless we can still be led by them easily and safely. Well 
does the great Goethe say : 

''Quite softly speaks a God in our breast, 
Quite softly yet perceptibly He shows us 
Which we must seize, and which to flee." 



*It is still a risky thing to attack science, notwithstanding the 
fact that precisely her most faithful and honest devotees are the 
most afflicted with disease and suffering. I need refer only to the 
many nervous and broken-down savants. Our opponents here remind 
us of the great and beneficent researches, discoveries, inventions, 
etc. But I trust that those who read my book will no longer be 
dazzled by the great "achievements" of science or the great blessings 
of civilization, that are said to have grown out of it for man. 



— 8 — 

When I began to heed the voices of nature once more, every- 
thing was soon clear to me. On the important points I soon 
knew everything that was necessary for me to know, and which 
I have recorded here in my book. There was no need of a long 
period of laborious research and investigation. 

Everything that I have written in the following pages I 
learned from nature alone; her voices alone have guided me. 

Let the reader judge for himself whether these teachings of 
pure and simple nature appear to him plausible and true. At all 
events I know that they have so far met with the most enthusi- 
astic approval and acceptance on all sides, and that the good they 
have already done is greater by far than is generally believed. 
I have often had the opportunity to convince myself how much 
lost happiness my book has again restored, how many a blessing 
it has wrought. 

The more man sets his face again toward nature, the more 
his conscience and instinct will reawaken within him, and the 
more acute will his organs of sense become. He is still sur- 
rounded by many happy creatures, children and especially ani- 
mals, who have preserved these higher guides of life, and from 
whom he can learn the true course in all emergencies. 

If man, therefore, has gained sufficient power of resistance 
to the seductions of science, he may still easily be led by the hand 
of nature, and will then surely soon recover health and true happi- 
ness. He will no longer be tossed about upon the ocean of life, 
like a ship without a rudder, destined to be dashed to pieces 
against rocks and reefs. 

THE JUNGBORN. 

When after a long, long search I came from error to truth, 
from night to light, from disease to health, I was seized by a 
great desire to impart my experiences to my fellowmen and to let 
them profit by them. 

I determined to place the strength and vigor which I had 
but just regained, entirely at the disposal of the great cause. I 
resolved to become the champion of nature, to work for her, and 



to point out the right way which will lead men from dreaded 
night to joyous light, to true health and complete happiness, — 
those purblind and deluded men who no longer understand nature 
and who abuse her marvelous goodness to their own destruction. 
The mere thought of devoting my life entirely to nature and 
her great truths was indeed blessedness. 

I soon began to write this book. 

But I also founded "Jungborn, "-in the Hartz, between Isen- 
burg and Hartzburg. This is, first of all a model institution for 
the true natural life, where these who wish to make arrange- 
ments for such a life at home in their own gardens can find the 
pattern. It was also meant to show, from the start, how the most 
intimate communion with nature can be re-established, and at 
the same time to demonstrate in practice how easy and what a 
blessing such communion is. 

In the meantime the Jungborn has fulfilled its purpose com- 
pletely. After its pattern many have already made the requisite 
arrangements in their own homes or gardens. 

Other similar institutions are coming into life. 

The Jungborn has now also practically demonstrated the 
correctness of the return to nature methods and its significance 
for the welfare and salvation of man. 

For the rest it has always been my aim to show how we 
can lead a natural hie at home, under ordinary circumstances, 
and establish a relationship with nature, for in this way alone 
can my book be of service to the masses. 

It was necessary to mention the Jungborn here, as I shall 
have occasion to refer to it. 

A detailed description of the Jungborn and its arrangements 
will be found at the end of this volume. 



IO — 



THE NATURAL BATH. 

Within the last century great and gifted men have taken 
up the nature-cure method. Their genius led them to the ways 
of nature. Priessnitz, Schroth, Graham, Rausse, Rikli, Kneipp ; 







VINCENTZ PRIESSNITZ, 
Father of the Natural Healing Method. 



— II — 

Kuhne, Densmore, Trail and others have already achieved great 
things, and have won for themselves immortal honor, for from 
darkness they penetrated into light. 

But these men have by no means been fully and clearly con- 
scious that they must allow instinct alone to lead them, and they 
have not strictly and carefully followed the other voices of nature, 
which I have often mentioned. They have not sufficiently studied 
the ways of children and animals, those beings who still possess 
the true guides of life in a higher degree than the adults of mod- 
ern civilization. They have not considered with sufficient care 
many of the contrivances and intentions of nature. Therefore 
their systems and teachings have not been perfect; they have 
contained mistakes and errors. These systems have now partly 
been forgotten, and in the course of time will be entirely swal- 
lowed up in the sea of oblivion. 

After mankind has deviated from nature for thousands and 
thousands of years, it is very evident that they can only gradually 
regain a true insight as to which are their duties toward nature 
and her laws. 

All the men who have hitherto built up the nature cure methods 
are deserving of our highest praise. We must by no means heap 
reproaches upon them and accuse them, because their systems are 
faulty and because they did not yet reach a complete natural 
method. 

The nature cure method has evidently inspired the most 
serious and largest movement that civilized mankind has yet seen. 
It concerns itself with the health of the individual, that greatest 
of worldly possessions upon which such an infinite amount of 
well-being and happiness depends, and which is the only possible 
safety and redemption from all misery and evils — from final ruin. 
Therefore we may not remain silent or conceal anything concern- 
ing any person, but must above all things always keep our eye 
upon the great cause, and subjugate everything — every other in- 
terest and even every person — to this cause. 

From this point of view T shall not hesitate to uncover the 



12 



mistakes of former nature cure methods, of the old vegetarianism, 
etc. But in doing- so I do not wish to hurt any one. 

I shall now advance a mode of life and a curative system 
which has nothing whatever to do with science, and in which we 
allow ourselves to be guided, as I have frequently stated before, 
by the great teacher, "Nature," alone. Thus at last a beautiful, 
bright morning sun will rise from dark chaos, which mankind 
shall greet with joy. 

We now have a simple nature-cure system ; as simple as 
the great teacher, nature, herself. This nature-cure system 
is the same for all diseases and all cases, even as the origin of 
all diseases has but one cause, an unnatural mode of life ; and 
there exists a unity in all the laws of nature and in all her mani- 
festations. All the former nature-cure methods will gradually 
dissolve in this one true nature system. 

In this method there is nothing to be learned in the usual 
sense of the word; every one who has but freed himself from 
the spell of modern wisdom and science can apply it. Through 
it men become free from all dependency on and slavery to the en- 
tire fraternity of physicians, doctors of medicine as well as nature 
doctors. 

Nature does not err, therefore in her the errors and contra- 
dictions which are now keeping so many away from the nature- 
cure method, do not exist. 

The invalid who allows himself to be guided entirely by the 
hand of nature is led gently, without severity and distressing 
deprivations, much more gently, and more pleasantly, quickly, and 
more surely than by the former nature-cure methods, back to 
health, strength, and vital energy unto a fresh, green meadow 
full of flowers and sunshine. And above all, the severest and 
most desperate diseases, in the presence of which the ordinary 
nature doctor is helpless, loosen their grip and drop off before 
Nature. 

The true nature-cure system penetrates with its healing 
power into the innermost recesses of the mind and soul. Dark 
veils are lifted from the mind; even the soul participates in the 



13 




VERY REV. MGR. SEB. KNEIPP, 
Founder of the Kneipp Water and Herb Cure in Woerishofen, Bavaria. 



— H — 

healing balm. Man is released from vice and crime, hatred, envy, 
and malevolence. Peace, joy, brotherly love, happiness once more 
take up their abode in the breasts of the unhappy human beings 
of to-day. 

Now at last the morning of a new Spring dawns for human- 
ity; paradise is regained. 

As I have said before, I once fled from the error and con- 
fusion, the strife and dissensions of men to nature. Here alone 
I found rest, peace and truth. 

When in the present century mankind instinctively turned 
their faces once more toward nature, it became evident to them 
that all diseases had their origin in impure matter in the blood, 
in the body — in disease germs or foreign matter. On the basis 
of this correct discernment people, in treating the sick, soon re- 
frained from exorcising the devil with Beelzebub by introducing 
more foreign matter and poison into the body, as medical science 
does by drugs, medicines, etc. They sought rather to cleanse the 
sick body of its foreign matter, and that, indeed, with but one 
natural remedy — with water. 

In this respect the peasant Vincentz Priessnitz was the pioneer. 
He is therefore to be considered as the real founder of the present 
nature-cure method. 

The nature-cure method was in the beginning only a water- 
cure method, and only water-cure institutions were at first estab- 
lished. 

Therefore it was my first endeavor to obtain from nature 
herself directions for the right use of water applications. 

In my endeavors I did not observe that an inner voice di- 
rected me to a special use of water, — namely, the instinct. 

But I learned from foresters that the animals of free nature 
which follow only their instinct, take a bath according to definite 
rules. 

I began to observe them, and reached the following con- 
clusions : 

The natural bath does not consist in jumping into the river 
and taking a full bath. The full bath taken in the river or in 
the bath-tub is contrary to nature. 



— 15 — 

Land animals not only take no full baths, they are actually 
afraid of them. One need only to throw an animal (especially 
a monkey) into the water and see how eagerly it makes for the 




LOUIS KUHNE, OF LEIPZIC, 

Founder of the Kuhne System of Natural Healing, Exemplifying the 

Oneness of All Disease. 

shore. To other water applications also animals submit only 
under compulsion and most unwillingly. 

Individual exceptions which occur among domestic animals 
that already lead unnatural lives prove nothing to the contrary. 



— i6 — 

On the other hand the higher land animals (mammalia), 
especially wild boars and deer, in free nature (in the forest) are 
in the habit of lying down in small muddy swamps or pools, 
at first only with the abdomen, and rubbing it to and fro in the 
mud. 

Hereupon the animals rise and generally sit for awhile 
with their posterior, their anus, in the mud. After awhile they 
roll in the mud for a moment with their whole body, and 
then rub themselves against the earth, trees, and other objects. 
Hunters call this bathing of the animals "wallowing." 

The birds, on the other hand, go to brooks or springs, and 
by immersing their necks throw water over their bodies by means 
of the hollow that is formed between the neck and the trunk, and 
by splashing themselves with their wings. Then they rub or 
scrub their body with their head and bill and their wing-elbows, 
if I may so call the wing joint which corresponds to the human 
elbow. 

It has always been vainly asked why it is, for instance, that 
the stag, the king of our forests, this beautiful, otherwise so 
cleanly animal, that carefully avoids soiling his lair, and in many 
other respects shows himself most cleanly, can lie down in such 
muddy water to bathe, while birds will bathe only in clean water. 

I am of the opinion that mammals bathe in the mud only 
because they can thus rub and scrub the abdomen and the sexual 
organs, which they could not do in clean running water with a 
hard bottom. 

Birds, on the other hand, because they are built differently 
and can rub themselves with several limbs, do not require the mud 
for the purpose of rubbmg and scrubbing. 

The explanation that the mud is required because it enables 
the mammals to rub themselves, is considered a most plausible 
one by all foresters, too. 

We see then that the more highly developed animals bathe. 

The roe, the chamois, etc., do not bathe, probably because 
these species have been placed by nature upon high mountains 
and rocky regions where water is not always to be had. Neither 



— 17 — 

do beasts of prey bathe. It is likewise quite evident why they do 
not bathe.* The bath has a quieting influence, but beasts of prey 
cannot allow themselves to be quieted; they must be bloodthirsty 
and wild ; their place in nature requires it, otherwise they would 
lack the incentive and the capacity to win their prey. It is the 
meat diet that develops these bloodthirsty cravings. 1 1 

There is no reason, however, why man, the highest creature, 
should not bathe. It must rather be assumed that nature pre- 
scribes a bath for the preservation and strengthening of his high- 
est physical and spiritual powers. 

Men have, indeed, always had an instinctive longing for 
baths, and even if the inner voice no longer plainly indicates the 
right kind of bath, every one still feels a need to cool the abdo- 
men, the anus, and the sexual organs by means of water. 

Thus we see that animals bathe in different ways according 
to the construction of their bodies. Mammals take their bath in 
a different way than birds. 

Now whoever has carefully watched animals at their bath 
and has observed the pains they take to rub or cool the sexual 
organs in the mud (or water), easily takes the hint of nature and 
comes to see what the natural bath for man ought to be, especially 
when he attempts to take a bath in the open air where no artificial 
apparatus or other aids are to be found. 



*It cannot be called a bath if onr domestic dog goes into the 
water on a hot day. 

|! It is easy to see how beasts of prey become bloodthirsty through 
a meat diet. 

The hunter's setter only brings the game to bay, but does not 
attack it so long as he is fed on vegetable food alone, but as soon 
as he is given meat he begins to bite and kill. 

I knew an ape in a zoological garden that was very gentle and 
good-natured. But when he was fed on meat he became vicious and 
snapped even at his keeper for whom be had had the most friendly 
feelings. 

Beasts of prey must, indeed, be savage and bloodthirsty in order 
to win their prey. 



• 18 — 

I shall now proceed to describe the natural bath. Since most 
people must, for the present, take their bath in a room, and have 
not always an opportunity to bathe in* the open air, they must 
naturally have a basin or tub. It may be any sort of basin or tub 
in which a person can comfortably sit with his knees drawn up. 

The following cuts show tubs that can now be procured in 
the market. 




Tub for the Natural Bath No. 1. 



The bather sits down in the tub, which contains naturally cold 
water, about three and a half inches (8 cm.) deep, so that the 
seat, the feet, and the sexual organs are for the most part in the 
water. Only the seat and the feet touch the bottom of the tub. 
while the knees are quite aways above the water. 

The knees are now spread apart, and the water is vigorously 
dashed over the abdomen with the hollow of the hand. The 
throwing of the water is followed by a brisk rubbing of the abdo- 
men in the middle, on both sides, and all over with one or both 
hands. After this alternating process has been carried on awhile, 
the woman rubs the region of the groins and the external part of 
the sexual organs with the open hand under water (the sexual 
organs are supposed to be submerged). The man also rubs the 
region of the groins, the testicles, and the dam (the region be- 
tween the sexual organs and the anus) with the open hand, under 
water. Hereupon the entire body is rapidly washed with the 
bare hands. A second person can assist in rapidly washing the 



— i 9 — 

body. Then the body is rubbed with the bare open hands {not 
with a towel or flesh brush) until it is completely dry. 

The body ought never to be dried with a towel after a bath. 




Tub for the Natural Bath No. 2. 

The rubbing- with the hands can be done by the bather himself. 
This is at the same time a beneficial bodily exercise. But the 
rubbing can also be done profitably by a second person. I shall 
return to this further on.* 

After the bath it is advisable to go about naked for a time 
in a cold room with open windows, or, still better, in the open air. 
But care must be taken to restore warmth : rapid, vigorous walk- 
ing or physical work are the best means of bringing this about, 
or, where neither is possible, wrapping in woollen blankets or bed- 
ding must be resorted to. Restoring warmth through the sun, the 
best warming and invigorating agent we have, is highly to be 
recommended. 



*The bath of the sexual organs, after the manner indicated, is 
very important, especially for women; it is especially effective and 
healing in cases of sexual excitement and irritation. 

Bath tubs Nos. 1 and 2 are made of zinc; No. 3 is made of wood, 
and is therefore more appropriate and desirable. The bath in the 
wooden tub is the most beneficial. 

For the open air bath tubs of stone or cement are the most ap- 
propriate. They must not be too narrow. 



— 20 — 

The duration of the bath must be regulated entirely by the 
temperature and condition of the bather. Here again everybody 
must observe his own inclinations somewhat, and heed the inner 
voice. On cool days from two to five minutes are sufficient. If 
it is warmer, or very hot in Summer, the bath may last as long 




Tub for the Natural Bath No. 3. 



as ten minutes and over. One-half of the time of duration of the 
bath is to be devoted to the abdominal rubbing, the other half to 
the rubbing of the sexual organs. 

The time thus indicated for the duration of the bath does 
not include the time for the washing of the entire body and the 
rubbing of it till dry. With respect to the number of baths every 
one must again consult himself. 

A daily bath may be taken in the warm season, or we may 
bathe twice a day if it can be done in the sun, in a room, or still 
better in the open air. In colder seasons it may be sufficient to 
bathe only once in two or three nays. Sometimes it is even advis- 
able to suspend bathing entirely for a time. 

As a matter of course hot fever patients and strong, vigorous 
persons can bathe longer and more frequently than chilly patients 
and weak anaemic persons. 

I have often observed that many people prefer to take a 
short bath and repeat it at frequent intervals ; others prefer it a 
longer time and less frequently. This is also the case among 
animals in the free state of nature. 



2! 



It is advisable never to warm the water for the natural bath. 
It is also best to take the bath, if at all possible, in an uuheated 
room, in which even the windows are open. 

At the end of the bath the feet and the anus should always 
be scrupulously washed. This insures their cleanliness, which is 
very important. 

It is clearly the most natural and the very best way to take 
the bath in the open air. 

The opportunity to take the natural bath in the open air can 
be found almost everywhere, for a little water is always to be 
had where there are people. 

The full bath, however, cannot always be had in free nature. 
It is possible only in a few places : only where there happen to be 
large brooks, rivers, ponds, or lakes. The opportunity for the 
natural bath in the open air is, therefore, much more commonly 
and easily found than for the full bath. 

The position of the person in the natural bath is comfortable 
and desirable. 

The natural bath differs from all other water applications 
especially in that the bather does not sit or lie in the water quietly, 
but is continually rubbing special parts of the body, and finally 
the entire body, with the bare hands; not with a towel or the like. 

All water applications hitherto have differed from this natural 
bath, therefore they were not according to the prescriptions of 
nature and could not produce the proper results and were often 
even harmful. Nature insists in every respect on having her dic- 
tates obeyed. 

The natural bath is in every way simpler and more beneficial 
than any water application that has heretofore been used. It re- 
quires but little water (no warm water), and can be taken alone, 
without the help of a second person. The bath-tub required for it 
is simple and more easily handled than other bath-tubs. Every 
one can easily have one standing under his bed, ready for use in 
the morning after rising. 

Therefore this bath will surely come more and more into 



22 



favor in families and with the public than other more compli- 
cated modes of bathing. 

If one does not happen to have an appropriate basin or tub 
at hand, for instance, while traveling, one can take the bath never- 
theless, in a simpler form. Any wash basin will answer. 

One sits down over a wash basin containing cold water, 
washes the anus and cools the sexual organs by pouring water 
over them with the hollow hand for a few minutes. Then the 
abdomen is speedily washed with the hand, and finally the whole 
body, whereupon the work of drying by rubbing is begun. 

In this manner a bath can be taken anywhere and at all times, 
and it is the easiest, simplest bath possible. 

Even taken in this way it is well to go about naked for a 
while after the bath. 

This always enhances the efficacy of the bath. 

The natural bath, taken in any form whatever, far surpasses 
in its effect all water applications hitherto employed. 

As I continued to think about this new kind of bath, it be- 
came more and more clear to me that a bath of this sort must 
be necessarily superior to all others. The primitive man, evi- 
dently, was often obliged to walk about for weeks, perhaps 
months, in the wet ; perhaps even in the snow. He was most likely 
also obliged to stand still in it for a length of time, and also to sit 
down with his seat in the wet. The feet and the posterior, there- 
fore, must have been designed by nature to endure wet and cold. 
But whatever nature has made a necessity for her creatures, she 
has at the same time made their greatest blessing. When, therefore, 
present-day man keeps his feet and the anus artificially warm, 
parts where congestions (piles, etc.) so often occur, being caused 
by internal inflammation, then he deprives the body of its great- 
est blessings and does it much harm. Therefore many nature 
doctors order their patients to walk barefooted in the wet for 
hours, and even days, to stand in it for a short time, forbid the 
sitting on polsters, in order not to heat the anus artificially, and 
recommend injections that are to be retained. It is well known 
that accumulation of the fceces at the extreme end of the rectum, 



— 2 3 

piles, etc., on the anus, which are productive of heat there, afreet 
the head very injuriously. A thorough cooling with water of 
those parts must therefore have the effect of relieving the head. 
By immersing the seat and the feet in water the circulation is at 
all events regulated. An intense cooling of the abdomen, which 
being the source and actual hotbed of disease, where, as is 
well known, great heat is generated in sickness, must be of the 
greatest importance. 

In the natural bath nearly all the means are united by which 
the chief representatives of the nature-cure method of to-day at- 
tempt to heal disease : going bare-footed, standing in the water, 
avoiding the heating of the anus, the enema, the light-and-air 
bath, the abdominal compress, the abdominal bath, the water 
bath, the cooling of the sexual organs, Kneipp douches, massage 
of the abdomen and of the whole body. Just this simultaneous 
co-operation of all these means is the design of nature and the 
natural bath is therefore of the highest efficacy and benefit to 
mankind. 

These natural and effective means are of course always ac- 
companied by severe healing crises, which may manifest them- 
selves in distressing sensations and pains, since the powerful reac- 
tions which are produced at once begin to dislodge and expel the 
foreign matter. 

The more natural a remedy is, the severer the crises may 
often be. 

But these healing crises are not at all of a nature to be 
dreaded ; they are rather always to be welcomed. 

The crises occur only in the beginning, and we must above 
all things not allow anything to prevent us from bathing. 

Man fell out of harmony with nature, he no longer sub- 
sisted on fruit which the earth offered him freely, he no longer 
went naked; and he transgressed the laws which nature gave him 
concerning air, earth, water, etc. Consequently he became ill. 
Only by returning to the harmony in which nature had originally 
placed him, can he regain health. Man must once more be led 
bv nature; for this he needs no skill and need not learn or know 



— 2 4 — 

anything. He must rather, in order to find the right way to 
health, unlearn all the unnecessary and false things that one is 
obliged to learn to-day; he must first of all discard all the wise 
ballast that burdens and oppresses the mind and the soul, and 
that in reality only blinds and stupines mankind. When man 
once more listens to the voices of nature, he must not want to 
know anything; he must not even aspire to know why his dis- 
eases are healed or his health is strengthened by arranging his 
life according to the dictates of nature, or how the processes in 
his body, the phenomena in his mind and soul are to be explained. 
The present-day knowledge of men is unreliable and only too 
easily leads one astray. 

Man must once more yield himself to nature in childlike faith. 

All our anti-natural habits cannot, however, be eradicated 
at once. Neither do I here wish to pour out the child witli the 
bath, but will make concessions to the present tendency of man 
always to demand an explanation for everything. 

Therefore I shall occasionally state my views concerning the 
origin of disease, and offer an explanation of the great effect of 
the natural bath and the other nature remedies to be specified 
later. 

Disease is caused by the introduction into the human body 
of unnatural food, that is, such food as nature has not intended 
for man and for the assimilation of which his digestive organs are 
not adapted. The unnatural food is then either not sufficiently, 
or not at all, digested. Unassimilated remnants remain behind, 
constituting foreign matter zvithin the body, which interpenetrates 
it in all directions, enters into fermentation* and becomes the 
cause of all disease, all pain and suffering in man. 

Like the zvant of water, light, etc., pozverful emotional 



*In these days it is usually chronic disease with which we have 
to do. If the fermentation is powerful, it produces a revolution in the 
body, during which the latter tends to eliminate the foreign matter 
suddenly and violently. We then have acute disease (colds, typhoid 
fever, pneumonia, etc.). When the body is no longer strong enough 
for an attack of acute disease, chronic disease appears. 



— 25 — 

cnccs also foster and cause disease by paralysing and disturbing 
the nervous and digestive function of the body, and by aiding or 
favoring the formation of foreign matter. 

The fermentation of the foreign matter produces heat, zvherc- 
in chiefly lies the injurious and dangerous element of disease. 

In order to cure disease we must above all aim to lower the 
internal heat of the body. But it is also necessary to stimulate 
the vitality of the body, that force, by means of which the body 
firstly, draws the true benefit (repair) from food, but, secondly, 
also expels the foreign matter (disease-matter) through the skin 
(transpiration), urine, fceces, etc., — the force which constitutes 
the real life of man. 

It is readily to be seen that both of these ends must be 
achieved by means of the natural bath. 

By the application of cold water to the abdomen (the seat 
of all disease) and to the sexual organs (the centre of the ner- 
vous system), we secure the most immediate and effective lower- 
ing of the internal heat of the body. The nerves are stimulated 
to action by rubbing during the bath, and the cooling of the 
interior of the body, as well as the stimulation of the vital force, 
is thus best accomplished by way of the sexual organs. 

It is of great importance that by means of the bath the anus 
becomes thoroughly cooled and cleansed. 

All remedies that have not been taken from nature, and are 
not in accordance with her, prove futile ; no matter how often, 
apparently, they may have operated beneficially and effectively. 
There are too many deceptions here. The injury that inevitably 
accompanies all unnatural remedies, sooner or later, always comes 
to the surface and causes them to disappear again, unfortunately 
only after much harm has been done. Such unnatural, or not 
strictly natural, remedies come and go, therefore, and will never 
find an abiding place of refuge. 

We see accordingly new remedies rising to the surface daily 
in medicine, only to disappear again as quickly as they came. To- 
day carbolic acid, to-morrow salicylic acid, now antifebrin, again 
Koch's lymph is the elixir upon which the safety and happiness 



— 26 — 

of mankind is said to depend,, until it has become clear that they 
work only harm and disaster. At present we calmly allow our- 
selves to be most seriously injured by remedies whose dangerous 
character can reveal itself only in the future. 

Dr. Faust, who in company with his deceased father had so 
often dispensed medicines and magic draughts, and to whom the 
populace does homage and offers thanks on Easter Day, is made 
to break out into this reproachful lament by Goethe : 

"Couldst thou but read within mine inmost spirit, 

How little now I deem 
That sire or son such praises merit ! 

This was the medicine— the patient's woes soon ended. 

And none demanded : Who got well ? 
Thus we, our hellish boluses compounding. 
Among these vales and hills surrounding. 

Worse than the pestilence, have passed. 
Thousands were done to death by poison of my giving, 
And I must hear, by all the living, 

The shameless murderers praised at last."* 

Since I look only to nature when I want to know the right 
thing to do for my health and my wellbeing, I always find that 
everything that I have recognized as strictly natural, that is, as 
thoroughly in the spirit of nature, has on trial always proved 
itself to be the right thing entirely. Where nature is accurately 
observed, experiments to prove the correctness of a procedure are 
superfluous. When nature's intentions are perfectly understood, 



*At the end of the last century the sickly tree of humanity 
sprouted once more and grew a twig of rare vigor. The great Goethe 
saw the light of day. This lofty genius could not attain to the full 
truth in his time, and his last words upon earth were, "More light!" 
But still he came near to a recognition of our cause, the truths of 
nature. In Goethe's "Faust," at least, we find the absurdities of civil- 
ized mankind exposed in the most masterly manner and described in 
magnificent poetry. 



— ±f — 

we can at once confidently rely upon them as correct, just as 
primitive man and the. animals in the free state have always eaten 
and bathed without first convincing themselves of the right way 
by experiment. This has likewise been shown by the natural bath. 

After the first bath of this kind 1 at once felt benefited and 
refreshed in a way that I had never experienced from any other 
water application. Almost all who besides myself have tried this 
new bath have been surprised by its agreeable and positively good 
effects.* All experienced a very strong but pleasant sensation of 
coolness, and after the bath a much better and more agreeable 
bodily warmth. The points that were especially commented on 
were the exceedingly stimulated digestion, warm feet for the en- 
tire day, increased action of the skin as shown by a slight per- 
spiration, unusual vivacity and cheerfulness, remarkable vigor, 
and other favorable manifestations. 

I could here mention innumerable reports that I have received 
concerning the efficacy of the bath, both by letter and by word of 
mouth, the latter always with a happy, beaming face. But I send 
it into the world simply on its own merits and without flourish 
of trumpets. 

Whoever understands nature, and knows that everything 
which is in the spirit of nature and according to her dictates must 
result in the greatest blessing for mankind, will welcome this bath, 
and to him it will bring blessing and happiness in abundance. 
Let those who care nothing for all-wise nature and everything 
for the "science" of men. of sick men, and who flounder from one 
error to another, scorn and deride it ! 



*Only a few were frightened by the healing crises brought on by 
the baths. In one person, for instance, who suffered from chronic 
lung trouble, a lung trouble put in its appearance after a few days: 
the chronic ailment had become acute, a most favorable sign. The 
same person also declared that sun baths did not agree with him, that 
they gave him pains in the body, while these pains only showed that 
the foreign matter (disease germs) in his body were being loosened 
by the sun, preliminary to being thrown off. Patients who show such 
little appreciation of nature and her healing forces, will probably 
never regain their health. 



28 





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In sending- my bath into the world, I wish to give it only a 
few directions on the way. I disapprove, on the whole, of the 
warming of the water ; it is against nature.* It is not so difficult 
to sit with only the posterior and the feet in entirely cold water, 
once the abdomen and the sexual organs have been washed and 
rubbed and the interior especially of the abdomen has been cooled 
off and the blood is once more driven towards the extremities. 
But if for all that one cannot stand it very long in Winter, which 
does not easily happen, one can take a very short bath, or even dis- 
pense with it altogether. In this case we have still another re- 
source, namely, going naked, or the earth compress on the abdo- 
men, of which I shall speak more in detail later. 

The water ought not to be too deep — about as deep as the 
width of the bather's hand ; for adults at most three inches. The 
rubbing and the exercise after the bath must not be executed ac- 
cording to any definite rules, or any system of massage or gym- 
nastics, but entirely according to one's own feeling and inclination. 

Whoever has the opportunity (and the opportunity can al- 
ways be found if it is only sought) can take his bath in the open. 
Man originally had to take his bath in the open, and in the open 
he must again take it regularly, if he is to derive the full benefit 
of it, just as food partaken in fresh air always tastes better, and 
does more good than when it is eaten in the room and in impure 
air. 

Women can discontinue their bath during their monthly 
periods. 

The other remedies of nature, however: walking barefooted, 
the air-and-light baths, earth compresses, etc., women need not 
avoid during this period. They are especially beneficial at that 
time. 

The bath can always be taken in rivers (near the shore when 
they are deep), in brooks and small ponds. 

In the room, if it is heated, the windows can always remain 



*In order not to discourage beginners, they may be allowed to 
warm the water a little or to take the bath in a warm room 



— 30 — 

open to some extent. The early morning, or at least the forenoon, 
when one has not yet broken one's fast, or has eaten very little, 
is the best time for the bath. 

All fishes (water animals) try to avoid the air, while all air 
creatures take great pains not to get their bodies into the water 
and, while taking their bath, as little as their bodily structures 
will allow. Man is the highest light-and-air creature. If the air 
should suddenly be entirely withheld, he could live only for a 
very short time. But even if only a very small part of the air due 
him is withheld, he at once loses vitality and is weakened, just as 
the fish begins to die when he is taken out of his element, the 
water. But now the body is almost entirely immersed in water 
during a full bath, and the skin, through which the body ordin- 
arily absorbs quite a considerable quantity of air, can neither 
absorb nor throw off the bad, used-up air. The body is therefore 
weakened and injured by a full bath. If the full bath lasts only 
a very short time, perhaps only several seconds, the benefit which 
the body derives from the cooling, for which a few seconds suf- 
fice, may be somewhat greater than the harm done by depriving 
it of air. But if the full bath lasts five, ten, fifteen minutes and 
longer, as is customary in our bathing institutions, it is always 
very injurious. But if we deprive only a part of the body, or 
separate organs, of air, — for instance, the hands by means of 
leather gloves — these are always injured and lamed. In our sitz- 
baths, hitherto, the abdominal organs were always surrounded by 
water from all sides. These were therefore shut off from the air 
and rendered more or less inactive, so that they could not work 
in the right way during the bath. Thus the effect of these baths 
was essentially weakened. Neither was the water thrown over 
the entire abdominal surface in the sitz-bath, and there was no 
rubbing. In the natural bath everything that interferes with the 
full effect of former water-applications is done away with, and 
this is the explanation of the great results that are only now being 
achieved by water. 

It is to be hoped that the natural bath will now be welcomed 
by the public at large, by rich and poor, by high and low, and 



- 31 ^ 

carry to old and young the blessing and wellbeing which the 
kind mother, nature, has always intended to shed upon mankind 
with lavish hands. Let no one say that he does not need the 
natural bath because he is well. For it is plainly not the first in- 
tention of nature to cure diseases by the bath, but rather to keep 
her creatures well, bright and happy. 

As Winter succeeds Autumn, and night the day, according to 
stern natural law, so man, leading an unnatural mode of life, 
breathing impure air, using tobacco, alcohol, coffee, etc., must fall 
a victim to disease. This does not always manifest itself in the 
form of what is called disease nowadays, but disease is neverthe- 
less present, and will make itself felt plainly enough. 

The child at school is inattentive and indolent and learns his 
lessons with difficulty; often he is ill-bred, and becomes a prey to 
sin and vice. He is punished, often severely enough. But the 
poor fellow is in fact only ill, and suffers his punishment inno- 
cently. The husband and father is unkind, harsh, often even 
brutal toward his wife and children — toward those whom he loves. 
Later he is filled with remorse, not knowing that only his nerves 
have been overheated by the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other 
modern poisons, and that he, too, is ill. 

Others are directly driven on to the path of vice and crime. 
They are put into houses of correction and penitentiaries, instead 
of being cured and made whole. 

The young wife becomes whimsical, irritable, hysterical. 

"With the cestus loosed — away 
Flies illusion from the heart." 

Conjugal happiness is not realized, as had betw expected, and the 
heaven dreamed of in reality turns into hell. The young girl who 
entered wedlock with the fairest qualities and a good heart, an 
angel, becomes a vixen. But do not reproach her, poor thing, for 
the unnatural life which married people almost always lead bears 
fruit and demands as its first victim the wife. 

The plants and animals of the forest, in the state of nature 
(not the plants of the fields), retain their health, beauty, youthful- 



— V — 

ness, and goodness up to a certain period, fixed for the individuals 
of the same species, when they die suddenly, with only a few ex- 
ceptions which here again have been caused by man's interfer- 
ence with nature. 

Among men, in modern times, one becomes shortsighted in 
childhood, another hard of hearing, one loses his teeth, another 
his hair, many suffer from nervous troubles, and even are en- 
veloped by mental darkness. The young girl who is a celebrated 
beauty to-day, suddenly falls away, grows thin and pale, or be- 
comes bloated and ruddy soon after her marriage, and appears 
offensively homely to the man whom she had so recently charmed. 

Many people are favorably situated, but nevertheless give 
themselves no end of care and trouble. Even millionaires arc- 
sometimes troubled by the care for food. 

Care at the bottom of the heart is lurking : 

Her secret pangs in silence working, 

She, restless, rocks herself, disturbing joy and rest. 

We dread the blows we never feel. 

And what we never lose is yet by us lamented ! 

—Goethe, "Faust." 

All these evil spirits that disturb the peace in hovel and palace 
and destroy the happiness of peasant and Icing will largely be dis- 
pensed with and put to flight by the natural bath. 

This new, or rather old bath will give to man in the present 
fierce struggle of existence youthful freshness and vigor, and a 
serene calm in the hurry and scurry of life. I have seen animals 
chased by dogs until they became faint and desperate, seeking the 
bath to sooth their nerves and recuperate themselves. Would that 
the unhappy men who are to-day hounding each other until they 
are incessantly gasping from exhaustion, and their nerves are ever 
vibrating, — would that they might seek peace and strength in the 
bath! 

The immediate effect of the bath is to so cool the abdomen, 
and to stimulate the vitality (digestion) to such a degree that it 



— 33 — . 

will reject the foreign matter, remnants of insufficiently or not at 
all digested unnatural food, and thereby prevent a real attack of 
sickness in most cases where a sensible mode of life is otherwise 
observed. 

With the regular use of the natural bath many a stroke of 
paralysis, also melancholia, typhoid fever, cholera, cancer, con- 
sumption, etc., will never develop. 

The effect one experiences from it, is such as to allow one to 
expect these results. 

The body's power of reaction is also considerably strength- 
ened by the bath. It is this power which originally was instantly 
aroused to activity to ward oft" and eliminate any injurious matter 
that was introduced into the body (just as the first cigar causes 
sickness and vomiting.) 

As an effect of the natural bath some find that their cigar no 
longer agrees with them, others experience an antipathy against 
the use of beer, as well as against all alcoholic and spirituous 
liquors, and against meat. Most people feel themselves again 
drawn tow r ards nature, and many certainly will yield to this attrac- 
tion, and adapt themselves more and more to nature in their 
mode of living. Thus the bath will cure those who to-day call 
themselves well. 

But I w^ould have the natural bath enter also the sick cham- 
ber and carry its message of joy to the weak and fever stricken, 
to the gouty and lame, to the blind and deaf, to the nervous suf- 
ferers and consumptives who groan and lament there. 

Here every gleam of hope that penetrates the night is still 
looked for, and every word of comfort is listened to, but many 
are sighing: "The message well I hear, but faith, alas, is want- 
ing." Yes, the faith in a helper and saviour is often put to a 
hard test here. The sick have been deceived so often and have 
buried all hope. 

But whose advice has always been asked, so far, and whose 
help has been implored ? Many an idol who has been worshipped, 
ought to have been examined, his high titles and false modern 



— 34 — 

glitter ought to have been torn from him,and it would have been 
found that he was of stone and clay. 

They had confidence in a physician who prescribed medicines, 
and if one objected that he had heard much good said about the 
nature cure method, the answer was that the prescribed remedies 
were also taken from nature and w r ere therefore good. Yes, 
everything is taken from nature, even the tobacco and the alcohol 
which cause so much distress to-day, and every poison that kills 
immediately if taken even in the smallest quantity. These 
remedies are mostly prepared from poisonous plants and min- 
erals. Primitive men, who have never had any instruction in 
botany, and animals know poisonous plants at once, without tast- 
ing of them, and flee them as their enemies. But even to us, in 
spite of our spoiled taste, poisonous plants and "curative" minerals 
and metals in their natural state, taste exceeding bad, which plainly 
proves that, made still worse by artificial preparation through 
chemical processes, they are in every case bad for us. When we 
are sick they are of course more injurious than when we are well. 

However God still speaks to us often and plainly enough 
in many different ways, "Thou shalt not eat of the tree," but even 
to-day we so often disregard the command of the All-wise and 
All-powerful One, that man is again and again driven from para- 
dise for his disobedience. 

Others have so often heard of the great successes of the 
nature cure method, that they blindly trust themselves to the 
"nature doctors," and think that now they are absolutely in the 
best hands. But even here many a hope is not realized. 

We can still easily and with certainty discover what is neces- 
sary for the preservation or restoration of our health if we only 
go to the right source — nature. A nature doctor advises us not 
to eat fresh but only stewed fruit. But we see that nature pro- 
duces only fresh and not stewed fruit, therefore fresh fruit must 
in all cases and conditions be better, for what nature produces is 
always the best. The changes which man brings about in her pro- 
ducts always deteriorate them. Another recommends eating 
freely of Graham bread. We see, however, that sparrows as well 



— 35 — 

as the horses, like to eat the kernels of rye and wheat, but man 
does not seem to find them agreeable in their natural state. 
Animals also like wheat best in its unripe or half-ripe state, and 
generally with the accompanying straw, while Graham 
or groats-bread is always made of entirely ripe ker- 
nels and without the straw. Furthermore, we observe 
that horses and other animals, when they are fed 
much on oats and wheat, especially when they are not 
at the same time doing very arduous physical work, grow stiff 
in the legs and become vicious. What a sensitive creature our 
horse is, and how easily it sickens, especially the pleasure horse, 
that is chiefly fed on kernels ! How much more beautiful, fleeter, 
more enduring and hardy are the wild horse and the zebra, which 
subsist on grasses alone ! In the Graham bread, moreover, the 
grain is considerably changed from its natural state by the grind- 
ing and baking. It is well, therefore, not to follow the above 
counsel, and eat only very little of the groats-bread if one cannot 
do without altogether. Our present leavened bread, to be sure, is 
still less to be recommended. 

Steam baths are also frequently prescribed, but nature has 
never equipped any of her creatures at birth with a steam appa- 
ratus, and there is no contrivance in nature that in the least ap- 
proaches a steam bath, so that it could be considered even as a 
weak substitute for one. Therefore steam baths are in every case 
harmful, even if all nature doctors should be of a different opinion. 
The future will judge of the steam bath; single voices are even 
now raised against it. 

We see, then, that nature everywhere still speaks very plainly 
to us, and if Ave will only begin and try, we can learn to under- 
stand her language more and more, even if it is not taught in our 
schools. 

Some people, indeed, have become almost entirely deaf to it 
in the course of time, especially those who have received their 
knowledge of health from universities and those places where 
receipts and laws of health are concocted systematically against 
the voice of nature. Here food-stuffs and the like are tested in 



- 36 - 

retorts, to ascertain their ingredients, and their action upon each 
other; and corpses are supposed to shed light upon the processes 
that transpire in the living body. 

Alas ! in living Nature's stead, 
Where God His human creature set, 
In smoke and mould the fleshless dead 
And bones of beasts surround me yet ! 

—Goethe, "Faust." 

But primitive men had never seen chemical tables, and the 
horses and deer in the forest never examine the corpses of their 
sisters and brothers, the construction of their stomachs, the 
length of their intestines, etc., etc., in order to ascertain what is 
the right food for them, and what they ought to know to insure 
their well-being. It is not the intention of nature, then, that we 
should acquire the knowledge of our welfare in this way, it is 
rather directly opposed to it, and must, therefore, always lead 
to great errors. In the retort nothing but dead matter is manipu- 
lated, while in the human stomach, parts and supplements of the 
living body, are produced. The effects of chemical elements 
dpon each other cannot be compared with the effects upon the 
nervous system of the living man. In the processes of the hu- 
man body, in nutrition, and in life in general mysterious forces 
are at work, into which we have never penetrated and which we 
shall probably never understand. To be sure, the men of to-day 
are incessantly and without rest making researches, for here 
again a curse of the Deity is being fulfilled. "A fugitive and 
a vagabond shalt thou be on earth," but, — 

Mysterious even in open day, 

Nature retains her veil, despite our clamors : 
That which she does not willingly display 

Cannot be wrenched from her with levers, screws, and hammers. 

—Goethe, "Faust." 

Elements and matter and processes which are of importance 
in the retort, may be of no benefit to the human stomach and to 



— 37 — 

the nerves of man. they may even work the greatest injury. This 
sort of science has consequently always been fraught with harm- 
ful absurdities*. But errors impress especially young people with 
their stamp which cannot easily be effaced and always lecves a 
trace behind, — young people who are susceptible to external in- 
fluences and who by virtue of the prevailing false education sur- 
render themselves unconditionally to the "authorities," the sources 
of all wisdom. Physicians who intend to throw overboard the bal- 
last received at the university and put aside the errors taught 
them there, must therefore always remember that a special effort 
on their part is necessary to this end, and that they must especially 
rid themselves of all pride which seeks to give to shallow things 
an external value. 

All nature doctors must regard it as their ideal aim to. de- 
velop the people to the point where each will be his own 
physician. 

It is of course always easier and pleasanter to let others 
think for us, or perhaps not think for us. But if people wish 
to pursue a course that will certainly lead them to true health, to 
the springs of life, each must be his own doctor. 

But if to-day I recommend to a patient the natural bath, may 
he trust me? Certainly! Without hesitation! I myself have 
nothing to do with it, or at most only in so far as I have had the 
good fortune, as it seems, to have been the first to receive from 
the hands of nature the bath in this form. For the rest, I merely 
show that the creatures of the field and meadow, of the forest 
and glen, which still clearly understand the precepts 'of nature, 
know this bath and apply it to their advantage. Although largely 
suppressed, our feelings, instinct, and conscience are still suffi- 



*Let it not be objected that the venerable science of medicine 
cannot thus be steeped in error. It began with man's fall from nature, 
gTew step by step with his unnatural mode of life, is explicable or 
inexplicable like this, and will finally disappear with this mode of 
life. Besides, we learn from history that also other errors were cur- 
rent among men for centuries and longer and were countenanced by 
science, for instance, witchcraft. 



_ 3 8 - 

ciently active to recognize the true course that we ought to pur- 
sue. We can still learn by means of the sense of taste that of 
the foods in the natural, unchanged condition it is not the cab- 
bage, nor the potato, nor meat, but the fruits, berries, and nuts 
which have been set apart as food for us. So, too, those who 
have tried all of the various baths soon experience from the use of 
the nature bath such a sense of comfort and well-being that they 
can no longer doubt its supreme excellence. 

Let us confidently resort to the bath, therefore, in such dis- 
turbances of the health as are nowadays called disease, even in 
desperate cases where many a remedy, which certainly must have 
been more or less anti-natural, has already failed. But when a 
patient nowadays turns away from those dangerous and in- 
jurious medicines, and takes up the safe remedies of nature, the 
disease has generally reached such an advanced stage, largely ow- 
ing to the medicines and otherwise false treatment, that the still 
more important remedies of light, air, diet, earth, etc., are now 
also necessary. But everybody stands aghast at the thought that 
he should go naked even for a little while only, especially at low 
temperature, be it even only inside the room with open windows ; 
and his dismay becomes still greater when a life without meat is 
suggested to him, from which he thinks all his strength is de- 
rived. He can more easily make up his mind, however, to take 
the bath, especially in the form of the natural bath, which does 
not necessitate the immersion of the whole body, or even half the 
body, in cold water. Well, then, let us make a beginning with the 
bath. 

Water is indeed nature's own remedy, with which she has in- 
tended to attain great ends for her creatures. Especially if em- 
ployed in the form desired by nature, one can understand the 
words of the Bible : "And the earth was without form and void — 
and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." and 
it becomes clear why it was in baptism that the Holy Ghost de- 
scended upon Jesus, and that the water bath became a holy sacra- 
ment of the Christian church, a symbol of physical and spiritual 
health. 



- 39 — 

But to-day one is deaf, another nearsighted, one suffers from 
swollen feet, another is humpbacked, with some the liver is out of 
order, with others the kidneys, here we see one writhing in 
epileptic, fits, there another is in the clutches of insanity and 
mental darkness. Many totter to the grave as consumptives, 
others are shunned by society because they are the victims of 
syphilis. Now you will certainly ask me, "i\nd is this one bath 
to cure all these diseases, and is this the only water application to 
be used in all cases? It seems altogether to be too simple a 
thing." My answer is : "Yes, in all cases always only this one 
bath." In this manner the curing of diseases is of course most 
simple, but everything that is truly natural is necessarily also 
most simple. All disturbances and abnormal manifestations in 
the body as well as in the mind and soul are only the consequences 
of disobedience to or transgression of the laws of nature. There 
is therefore also but one way to health : the return to nature and 
the employment of her remedies, and she prescribes no other 
form of water bath than the one under consideration. 

The fact is that in nature undefiled and pure everything is 
good and beautiful, that is, sound, and that in man, too, in the 
degree in which he again returns to nature and avails himself of 
her remedies all disturbances and deviations from his original 
ideal state of body, mind, and soid can be overcome and repaired 
faster or slozver in proportion to his defects and his remaining 
vitality... If we therefore scrupulously and in every respect en- 
deavor to learn anezv the precepts of nature, and in so far as our 
bodily and mental energy and other circumstances permit, strive 
to obey them zealously, we shall be doing our duty, which of itself 
will result in our greatest good and welfare. 

The perfectly beautiful and good human being, that is, the 
perfectly healthy man, is perhaps best represented by the Apollo 
of Belvidere and the Venus (Aphrodite), the two most important 
works of Greek art. Since we have no examples for comparison, 
we cannot form a true idea of the intellectual and spiritual state 
of man such as it would have been among the most highly de- 
veloped Caucasian race if he had never fallen away from nature, 



— 4Q — 

— of his wonderful energy, of the keenness and clearness of his 
intellect, of his gentleness, of his kindness and love, in short, of 
his God-likeness. 

As man truly returns to nature, he approaches this ideal 
state more and more in every respect, physically* as well as in- 
tellectually and spiritually. 

How closely he will approach it, depends on his hereditary 
taint, on his age, on his remaining vitality, and on the degree in 
which he lives in conformity with nature. 

Children, of course, have the best chances here. They should 
therefore, above all, be again led on the road to paradise and 
especially be made to take the bath. We shall often be surprised 
then to note how much better behaved they become, and how 
much more easily they learn at school, for dulness and stupidity 
are diseases, just as the higher degrees of these forms, mental 
night and insanity, have been recognized as diseases. 

Barrenness and painful labor are also great abnormities. 
Through the use of the bath, this partial return to nature, the 
curse of civilized woman will disappear for the greater part. 
The act of child-bearing will pass ofl without pain and without 
entailing special exhaustion, as is the case among all creatures in 
the state of nature. The mother will be greeted by a much more 
lovable and a healthier child which she w T ill be able to nurse her- 
self, and thus fulfil her sweetest duty. In this regard my ex- 
perience has already furnished me with the most favorable re- 
sults. 

Disease, especially chronic disease, begins, as we have already 
seen, with man's transgression of the laws of nature. Unnatural 
food, as I have said before, can be digested only with difficulty, if 
at all. Our nervous energy or vitality is weakened by various 
harmful influences. In this manner more and more undigested 
matter, "foreign matter," accumulates in the body. This is the 



*Only the means of nature, such as the bath, lead to true beauty 
of The body; these alone will smooth away many a wrinkle and rough- 
ness of feature. All other means are of no avail, and do more harm 
than good. Would that our young girls and women gave heed to this! 



— 4 I — 

cause of chronic diseases. From the abdomen this matter passes 
through the entire body in gaseous, liquid, and solid form.* It 
changes the shape of the body, and causes disturbances in mind 
and spirit. Body, mind, and soul are in the closest and most in- 
timate connection, of which everyone can become convinced by his 
own observation. The body endeavors from the start to get rid 
of food-remnants and foreign matter through the excretory 
organs by the natural way of the faeces, urine, exhalation, per- 
spiration, etc. But if the foreign matter continues to accumulate 
it cannot all be remoA^ed in that way. Thereupon the body 
attempts to eject it by force, stimulated thereto by a variety of 
causes, which as fresh air, drafts, dampness, etc. These revolu- 
tions in the body are called acute diseases; the lighter forms, such 
as catarrhs, etc., are generally known as colds. The more 
serious forms, such as measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid 
fever, cholera, etc., are always accompanied by fevers, which are 
a violent fermentation of the foreign matter. 

The acute diseases, therefore, dreaded as they are to-day, 
are to be regarded in the light of most favorable healing crises 
and should be greeted with joy. They become dangerous only 
under wrong treatment, under treatment with medicines, for 
instance, and by shutting the patient off from fresh air, which 
weakens the body and paralyzes its functions, so that the foreign 
matter which is in a state of agitation cannot be ejected, and 
may cause great distress, even death. 

A cold in the head, for instance, is always very useful and 
really a good thing if the phlegm (the foreign matter) is thrown 
oft in great quantities. And a child dies of measles only in case 
they do not develop, that is, when the rash, which contains the 
foreign matter, does not come out thoroughly. 

While disease is in process, heat develops within the body, 
from the motion of the foreign matter, the friction of the particles 
against each other, which constitutes the fermentation. This heat 



*How a foreign substance can traverse the body is illustrated in 
the case of a soldier who received a bullet in the shoulder which after 
the lapse of a year came to the surface in the leg. 



— 4 2 — 

is formed especially in the abdomen, the real seat of the disease. 
When the body in acute diseases, that is, in acute fevers, agitates 
the foreign matter powerfully, the heat rises to a dangerous de- 
gree. This can then be brought down considerably by the natural 
bath. As soon as the water, especially if it is very cold, touches 
the abdomen of the patient, he is wonderfully relieved and re- 
freshed. But the bath at the same time increases the vitality of 
the body, which is thus essentially aided in the work of throwing 
off the disease germs in order to completely attain its end. This 
is soon shown (sometimes, however, not until a few days have 
passed) in copious sweating and a more abundant discharge of 
urine and fceces. 

In an acut<- disease, therefore, whether it be a simple cold or 
something more serious, like diphtheria, typhoid fever, cholera, 
etc., one ought to take the bath and then try to sweat, either in 
the sun or by wrapping one's self up in woollen blankets in bed. 
A light-and-air bath in these cases is especially beneficial. Care 
ought to be taken above all to have a constant supply of fresh air 
night and day by keeping the windows open, even in winter at 
a low temperature. The diet also ought to be carefully chosen and 
as near to nature as possible. The favorable results will then be 
surprising, and our subsequent good health will convince us that 
in bringing the illness about, nature had the best of intentions. 
It goes without saying, of course, that the sooner one begins with 
this* method of cure in the case of acute diseases, the surer and 
the more permanent will be the result. If we resort to it only at 
the last moment when the patient is often far gone, the hope of 
recovery is but slight. 

Medicines paralyze the body and bring its eliminatory func- 
tions to a standstill. This nowadays is called healing acute dis- 
eases. Such cures are of course followed by the greatest injury 
to the body, and entail chronic troubles, such as nervous pros- 
tration, cancer, epilepsy, consumption, etc., — troubles very preval- 
ent in these days and are largely a consequence of medicine and 
vaccination. 

In the advanced stage of chronic diseases the. vitality of the 



— 43 — 

body (the digestion) is at a low ebb, the eliminatory organs (the 
kidneys, stomach, and intestines) are completely paralyzed, the 
activity of the skin is alwavs wholly inadequate. The body is 
no longer capable of the violent elimination of foreign matter, — 
is no longer capable of acute disease. The foreign matter begins 
to ferment in the body (internal fever), — in the case of one, 
chiefly in the lungs, in the case of another, in the legs, of one in 
the eyes, of another in the brain, — or it paralyzes the entire 
nervous system, when we reach the worst form of chronic disease, 
nervous prostration. We now have the diseases which are com- 
monly first described as chronic diseases : consumption, cancer, 
syphilis, diabetes, epilepsy, gout, open sores, insanity, etc. In 
these diseases the foreign matter in the body plays havoc with and 
undermines it more and more. The body is no longer strong- 
enough to eliminate it gradually or eject it suddenly by force. 
Persons suffering from nervous prostration, the insane, con- 
sumptives, etc., therefore rarely, if ever, catch cold, and rarely, if 
ever, are seized by acute diseases, like typhoid feyer, etc. This is 
not a good sign, it is rather a very bad sign for the patients. In 
individual cases, however, the natural bath and the other natural 
remedies increase the vitality of the body so rapidly and to such 
a degree as occasionally to bring about acute troubles like catarrh, 
coughs, fevers, and other distempers, although these appear only 
rarely and in an extremely mild form, so that one can feel their 
harmlessness and liberating influence. Boils, carbuncles, etc., are 
also formed, constituting as they do only the outlet for the 
foreign matter. 

These affections are under all circumstances to be regarded 
only as favorable symptoms. 

It is precisely at these times that the body must be assisted in 
its eliminatory functions by the natural remedies (bathing, fresh 
air and light, and a natural diet), so that the acute disease may 
be exploited to the greatest possible advantage of the body. 
Above all, let us not be too timid in such cases. 

Other accompaniments of a natural mode of life, of bathing, 
of natural diet, and going naked, such as temporary emaciation, 



— 44 — 

weakness and debility, bad looks, pains in the limbs, etc., indicate 
only favorable crises and need not disquiet any one. We must re- 
member that the application of really natural remedies can never 
result injuriously, and that whatever happens must therefore be 
favorable to health, however dangerous it may appear from the 
modern point of view.* 

For severe chronic diseases, of course, the new bath proves 
itself to be wonderfully effective. Here, too, in the course of 
time, enormous heat has developed, especially in the abdomen 
of the patient, who gradually has become almost parched. The 
mucous membrane of the rectum has dried up, so that the faeces 
can no longer move on, and a dangerous constipation prevails. 
If the surface of the abdomen is now cooled with very cold 
zvater, and is thoroughly rubbed during the process, the diges- 
tive organs are at once stimulated, and the poor patients again 
experience for the first time a delight to which they have long 



*One disagreeable feature connected with the nature cure lies 
in the circumstance that especially in periods of crises so many busy- 
bodies incessantly annoy the patient with warnings, sage counsel, 
etc. Healthy and more sensible persons have no time for that sort 
of thing, and are aware, moreover, that they know too little about 
the matter to express any opinion concerning it. But those poor 
unfortunates who have become mentally crippled by illness, who 
do not understand things, who are dissatisfied because of their super- 
ficiality, and consequently always become bores, soon prove a verit- 
able nuisance to those attempting the new mode of life. Everyone 
must study for himself how he can best keep at a distance these 
unhappy creatures, but in all cases in such a way as not to hurt 
their feelings. We must be gentle and considerate to those also who 
scorn and ridicule us for adopting the natural mode of life. They 
are mostly persons who are instinctively aware of their false mode 
of life and the troubles engendered by it, but who either lack the 
necessary energy, or who have not yet met a favorable opportunity 
to depart from their false course. They are especially in need of our 
sympathy and consideration. "We must forgive them if in their dis- 
eased condition they occasionally give way to ill-temper. It is, how- 
ever, only in the beginning of the cure that one is disagreeably and 
painfully affected by what has just been said. We soon experience 
a calm and contentment which nothing can henceforth disturb. 



— 45 — 

been strangers, and a joyful hope and the certainty of recovery 
is born. 

Let no one be surprised if in order to cure chronic diseases, 
for instance., swollen feet, eye and ear troubles, cancer of the 
nose, or open sores on the legs, the abdomen is treated with 
water. 

The foreigii matter has originated in the abdomen, from 
there it passed to the affected parts, and it must now go back to 
the abdomen, to be discharged from there. 

Even in the very severest chronic diseases, nervous troubles, 
insanity, cancer, consumption, etc., which are nowadays gener- 
ally considered as more or less incurable, the greatest improve- 
ments, even complete cures, sometimes take place in a most in- 
credibly short time, in several weeks or several months, with 
this natural treatment. 

As a general thing, however, chronic diseases, from which 
the patients have usually suffered for many long years, require 
even by this method patience and perseverance, for the vitality 
of the sufferer can only slowly and very gradually be restored, 
so that a cure can be achieved. But much, very much, can still 
be gained here — much more than is considered possible, accord- 
ing to the results of the curative methods at present prevailing. 
Of course, in very special and severe cases of exceedingly long- 
standing, often only an improvement, sometimes no result at 
all. can be reached. Help is indeed sought sometimes from this 
cure by veritable death candidates. 

When wounded, animals put the injured part into the water 
to cool it, and lick it incessantly between times. The nature- 
cure method of to-day also first cools thrust, cut, burn, and ulcer 
wounds with water, and then applies linen cloths dipped in cold 
water to them, varying the thickness of the cloth with the size 
of the wound, whereupon they are wrapped with woollen band- 
ages. Much better, indeed, would be a compress of moist earth. 
I shall speak of this again further on. 

The licking of wounds, so far as that is possible, is also 
very good. I have recently experienced a striking result in the 



- 46 - 

case of a skin trouble in a new-born child, by the mother's licking 
the part. Of course, one must not lick a wound in the center, 
but the skin round about it, which is free from pus and other 
impurities. 

In the case of larger wounds, however, the natural bath 
must be used in addition, and if possible the other remedies of 
nature, which will be spoken of further on. These remedies are 
necessary likewise for the cooling down of the internal heat, 
and to increase the vitality so that it can repair the injuries of 
the body. In this manner one can soon become convinced of 
the brilliant cures that are achieved. 

We note also that among animals in the natural state the 
greatest injuries and wounds are effectively healed in an aston- 
ishingly short time precisely through a perfectly natural mode of 
life. An animal in the forest sometimes has a leg shot off or 
torn away by a trap ; the wound heals completely in a very short 
time, and the animal continues to live on as if nothing had hap- 
pened. 

I know of a deer that was shot through the body in the 
region of the ribs so that on the side where the bullet came out 
the ground was covered with blood. After a few days the deer 
was driven in a corner that was fenced in. In spite of its large 
wound it then jumped with the greatest ease over the high fence. 
In this case the bullet had not, of course, touched any of the 
vital parts, such as the lungs, heart, etc. 

Formation of pus and similar phenomena that accompany 
wounds in man are merely eliminatory processes of the body. Like 
acute diseases, they are favorable symptoms, and become harm- 
ful and dangerous only in consequence of false treatment. Never 
treat boils by means of steam baths, nor apply partial steam baths 
to the affected parts. 

But above all, and in aij, cases, let us abjure the use of 
the knife and the scalpel on the human body. Cutting and oper- 
ating is in the crassest contradiction zvith the processes of nature, 
and is always followed by the most serious consequences, al- 
though they may not ahvays manifest themselves at once. 



- 47 — 

Whoever thinks that it is not always possible to get along 
without the knife and the scalpel, ought in serious cases first try 
all the means which nature offers, and these in the right propor- 
tion and form. 

Nature disdains all bandages, even in the case of rupture 
(rupture of the legs, ribs, etc.), and broken limbs never heal 
wrongly, as happens so often to the doctors in spite of bandages 
and splints.* 

Thus we have seen that the water bath, taken in the right 
form, is of the greatest significance and effect. 

In the Jungborn, where the bath is mostly taken in the 
open, it has from the start given much enjoyment and delight, 
and has always been splendidly successful. I have often seen the 
most timid and discouraged spirits soon become lively and bright, 
courageous and daring through the bath. 

It is also the most appropriate means for leading mankind 
once more back to nature. 



*In asserting that operations are unnecessary in the nature-cure 
method., we must not go too far. For instance, bad teeth are among 
the infirmities caused by an unnatural mode of life. Now if we want 
to avoid operations altogether, we must not have teeth extracted or 
filled. To be sure, with a more natural mode of life, and especially 
by the use of earth compresses, these things may in great part be 
avoided, and the suffering from toothache also. 

But the cutting of the hair and nails may also be considered as 
unavoidable operations. The animals in the state of nature, however, 
need nothing of the sort. And yet they do not become unsightly. 
Everything regulates itself in free nature. 

In still other cases (also in natal deformities) pain can be avoided 
by an operation, the use of limbs can be made possible, or other ad- 
vantages can be gained. But these exceptional cases are of an en- 
tirely different nature from the many cases in which apparent ad- 
vantages are gained nowadays, while on close inspection we find 
that the health is seriously injured and more and more undermined, 
until sometimes even death ensues from surgical interference with 
nature. 

In all diseases, acute as well as chronic, and also in wounds, 
physical and mental rest is a great desideratum; for the body needs 
all its energy to recuperate. 



- 4 8 - 

It enables us to avail ourselves of ever more important 
remedies of nature, and to rise to ever finer health and higher 
earthly happiness. 

RUBBING AND STROKING OF THE BODY. 

I have already called attention to the importance of rubbing 
during the bath. 

When a child has had a fall and runs crying to its mother, 
the latter does not long consider what physicians and books say 
as to the first thing to be done in emergencies, etc, but in her 
overflowing love and sympathy she involuntarily rubs and 
strokes the painful spot. 

Who has not heard of the "wise" women and men (shep- 
herds and the like) who formerly used to work wonderful cures 
in the country by means of rubbing and stroking? 

These simple, sound, and also pious country people did 
not devote themselves to healing as a business. They even 
thought their service would do no good if they took money for 
it. They acted in the spirit of the words : 

"Freely ye have received, freely give." — Matt. 10 :8. 

The help which they gave their fellowmen had to be an 
act of brotherly love. Within the last decades science and civiliza- 
tion, education and enlightenment, have spread wonderfully. 
We. are proud of this achievement. But we are nevertheless 
often sorely tempted to exclaim : "There are more things in 
heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy." 

We have long shrugged our shoulders contemptuously and 
derisively when speaking of the women and men who performed 
those cures bv stroking. In their place to-day we have masseurs 
and masseuses. These masseurs have received special training 
They have studied the anatomy of the body, the position of the 
various muscles and nerve fibres. The present-day masseurs, 
however, do not accomplish in weeks or months what those illit- 
erate and untaught men and women of the country formerly 



— 49 — 

accomplished at a sitting or in a few days. There was a charm 
about them that forthwith caused the disease to disappear. 

Our masseurs treat sick people day after day. We soon 
observe them to grow pale and get sick themselves. But it also 
happens that one or another of these pale and sick masseurs sud- 
denly regains his health. 

By the stroking and rubbing of the body vitality and health 
are always transferred from one person to another. The dis- 
eased parts of the body are thereby invigorated, and this con- 
stitutes the principal effect and advantage of rubbing and 
stroking. The training of the masseurs is useless ; it is even 
disadvantageous. 

Liquid and gaseous substances intermingle the moment they 
come in contact with one another. 

The soul of man is also a substance, the very finest ether- 
substance. But the substance which constitutes the soul of man 
is concentrated about a center. This center is the will-power. 
The mutual interchange and mingling of men's souls does not, 
therefore, take place like the mixture of gases; mutual likes and 
dislikes, love, .indifference and -hate, play a great part here. 

The interflow of two Human souls, their mutual attraction 
or repulsion, is moreover even visible to the eye. It has already 
been photographed, and there are pictures which plainly show it. 

Furthermore, the souls of two people can pass into each 
other so completely that it may indeed be remarked of them : 

"Two souls with but a single thought, 
Two hearts that beat as one." 

Now these country people possessed an abundance of vitality 
and health, and they still had a heart full of love for their suffer- 
ing fellowmen and a firm trust in God. That is why a magic 
healing power emanated from them. 

When a masseur has for some time continuously treated 
sick people, he loses much vitality and health and becomes sick 
himself. If it now happens that for a time he shall treat persons 



— 5 o — 

who are in better health than he is, he becomes well again. It 
is plain, therefore, that as a rule one cannot derive much good 
from a masseur; one may even lose what health remains. To 
the present-day masseur massage is a business, and not a pleasant 
business at that. He must make a living and do his work for 
the money there is in it. He cannot consult his affections or 
his inclinations. 

Here, again, one must exclaim : 

Return to Nature ! 

The mother who rubs and strokes her child in the fulness 
of her love, can effect the speediest and best cure provided she 
is not herself weak and sick. Rut even so the mother will give 
the last glimmer of her life to her child. 

I said that in rubbing and stroking vitality and health are 
transferred. It may also be said that animal heat is transferred. 

The more animal heat one has, the healthier one is. Animal 
heat, therefore, is the same thing as vitality and health. There- 
fore only those persons who have warm hands are fitted for 
stroking and rubbing. Sick people always have cold hands and 
cold feet. 

Persons whose heart is with us, parents or loving friends, 
are therefore the most appropriate persons for rubbing and 
stroking if they are at the same time healthy. 

Of course, I here mean healthy people only in the present, 
customary sense. Strictly speaking there are no entirely healthy 
people among civilized men to-day. 

Strong, healthy persons from the laboring and serving- 
classes, who have not become enervated, bloodless, and weak 
from mental work and a refined mode of life, and who are 
mostly engaged in physical work in the open-air, are very 
well adapted for rubbing and stroking. But the transmission 
of vitality is not the same between all persons. This depends 
on the mutual affections (sympathies) existing between the re- 
spective persons. There must above all be no feelings of repul- 
sion on either side, otherwise there will be no result. 



— 5i — 

One must therefore select vigorous, healthy, and sympathetic 
persons. They must not only be physically agreeably, they must 
also be well-meaning and lovable. Selfish, thieving and lying 
people cannot help us. They rather anxiously strive to keep their 
vitality and warmth for themselves, and in no way desire to 
impart them to others. 

We must beware not to consider ourselves better than others 
on account of our education, social position, wealth, and such- 
like illusions, and thereby hinder the mutual, purely human 
affections. It is always to be remembered that whoever sows 
love will reap love. 

The freer a man is from all present-day science, the more 
childlike and innocent he is, the happier is he, and the more can 
he be of service to his fellowmen. 

It is desirable that a person should not know about, or 
at least not think about, the transference of vitality and warmth 
through rubbing and stroking. His only concern should be to 
help his fellowman, and to free him from his suffering, and he 
must accordingly have the good will, earnestness and perse- 
verance necessary for it. 

If this is the case, the person will not require any special 
instruction regarding rubbing and stroking. 

Every sick part of the body can now be rubbed and stroked 
in the case of pain, swelling, gout, etc. In headaches, for in- 
stance, the stroking and rubbing of the neck is very beneficial. 
Stroking the calves and the abdomen is of great benefit and in- 
creases the general wellbeing. 

The parts which are to be rubbed or stroked must always 
first be moistened with water (not with some kind of oil or fat). 

The rubbing and stroking must be done quietly and firmly,. 
but sometimes also with a light touch. The right way is easily 
found. 

The best time for the transference of vitality and animal 
heat for the general invigoration and strengthening of the whole 
body is at the end of the natural bath. 

When the entire body is wet from the bath, it draws in with 



— 52 — 

actual greediness the vitality and warmth of the person who is 
rubbing it dry with the bare hands. 

Whoever, therefore, can avail himself of a suitable per- 
sonality to rub him dry after the natural bath, may under cer- 
tain circumstances derive great benefit from it, and greatly facili- 
tate the healing of his trouble. 

In nature everything depends on action and reaction ; the 
whole universe is held together by mutual attraction and repul- 
sion and consequent exchange. 

It is a well-known fact that plants thrive better in company 
with others than if they stand alone. It has also frequently been 
observed, among domestic animals, that an individual fares better 
when stalled and fed in the company of another. 

But more than plants and animals are human beings de- 
pendent one upon another. Man's whole and perfect happiness 
lies in social life, in mutual love and support, and much of his 
health depends upon it. The sick are especially dependent on the 
love of their healthy fellow-creatures. 

It is known that men have often been rejuvenated and won- 
derfully cured by the influence of other persons. Sick persons, 
having accidentally come into friendly intercourse with young, 
healthy persons, soon became well, without knowing the cause 
of their sudden convalescence. Many have experienced rare 
benefits with regard to their health on becoming engaged or get- 
ting married on the basis of a pure and noble love, which brought 
about a perfect spiritual harmony between the contracting par- 
ties. Much vitalitv can be communicated by the sleeping to- 
gether of two persons. By this means old men have often been 
rejuvenated by young men.* But these instances of rejuvenation 



*In a book entitled "The Transference of Nerve Force" (infection 
by health), by C. Buttenstedt, we read of a large number of cases in 
which wonderful rejuvenation, healing, and even revivification has 
been effected by the transference pf vitality in all periods of life. But- 
tenstedt deduces from these facts the possibility of regaining health 
at. any time, of rejuvenating our life, and prolonging it at will. He 
expects very greatly to extend the duration of human life, Butten- 



— 53 — 

and healing have always been the result of happy accidents and 
were connected with a great many circumstances. 

The way for a general application of this force has not 
yet been found. But let us only grasp the hand of nature again, 
she will lead us on to the fountain-head of health and happiness. 

As soon as we have found our way to the natural bath, the 
magic means of the transference of health is always open to us. 
Almost everybody has a friend or a servant, or knows of some 
other suitable person with the requisite qualities as above de- 
scribed, who can rub him dry after the bath, or at least assist 
him in it. But one must always be grateful for this help ; it 
must not be rewarded with hard cash, but with sincere gratitude. 
Otherwise the result would grow continually less. 

Xever force a dependent to rub you dry; the person charged 
with this task must do it willingly and joyfully. We must treat 
our dependent fellowmen in such a manner that they will lend 
a helping hand out of love for us. 

I need not lay down any special rules for the rubbing after 
the bath. It is done with the bare hands, and as quietly as pos- 
sible. 

The transference can easily take place from male to female, 
and vice-versa. 

But sensuality must hereby in no wise play a part. The 
persons engaged in the process must remain strictly noble and 
pure, otherwise the harm will be greater than the gain. 

Married people who desire to rub each other dry after the 
bath must also observe this rule. And it must likewise be borne 
in mind if vitality is to be transferred through opposite sexes 
in other ways than after the bath. 

When men have been accidentally killed, by lightning and 
the like, they have frequently been recalled to life by being thor- 
oughly and perseveringly rubbed down by strong healthy persons. 



stedt furnishes a great deal of important, information regarding these 
matters, even if he aims too high at times. 

Besides, Buttenstedt writes very entertainingly and fascinatingly, 
and his book is well worthy of perusal. 



— 54 — 

If such rubbing can bring even the dead back to life, it is easily 
to be seen of what advantage rubbing and stroking must be in 
strengthening us and in curing our troubles and diseases. Won- 
derful results may indeed be achieved in many cases. 

Let us, therefore, return to nature! A realm of health will 
then open unto us, a realm of sunshine and earthly happiness. 
Our weak pulses will soon begin to beat more vigorously, our 
sick breast will heave with new hope. 

LIGHT AND AIR. 

Man was created naked by nature, and in the beginning 
lived naked for a long time. "And they were both naked, the 
man and his wife." — Gen. 2 125 ; and according to the intentions 
of nature he was always to go naked. This is the design of 
nature which nothing can change. 

Going naked is in accordance with nature, and consequently 
right. 

Everybody knows that light-and-air creatures, plants as 
well as animals, pine away in dark places and become more and 
more lifeless. But if they are brought to light, they instantly 
wake up and become full of life. It is as if one could see this, 
even in plants, which soon regain their healthy color. In the 
case of animals we can plainly see how they brighten up, jump, 
and run about. 

To-day man lives, clothed as he is, with the greater part of 
his body in the dark. Let him, for once, throw off his clothes, 
especially in the open air, in the woods, and he will directly feel 
how new vigor and life reanimates the body. Immediately alt 
the organs begin to work more vigorously, the digestion, the 
vitality is increased, and a rapturous sensation of wellbeing passes 
through the almost lifeless sick organism. 

When animals are confined in dark places, the process of 
transpiration still goes on, and the internal heat which is devel- 
oped in sickness is still thrown off, while the wearing of clothes 



— 55 — 

prevents this in man. Going naked temporarily * even in the room 
with as many open windows as possible, but better still in the 
open, in the woods, proves of wonderful beneficency and efficacy, 
and is more strengthening than any other means. 

The light at once reanimates the vitality of the body, which, 
moreover, being now entirely free from clothes, need not partly 
reabsorb through the skin, the bad used-up air which it had 
thrown off, and can take in more pure air. 

This explains the immediate remarkable invigoration of the 
organism, and the wonderful effect of the light-and-air bath. 
The importance of the light-and-air bath in the preservation of 
health, the curing of diseases, acute as well as chronic, and also 
in the healing of wounds must become evident to even the dullest 
understanding. 

And yet it is hardly ever used even by nature doctors, al- 
though it is the simplest and cheapest remedy, and one that is 
always available. 

In acute diseases the greatest danger lies in the acute fever. 
It is therefore always necessary to reduce this. 

To-day recourse is first had to water, which is applied in 
the well-known manner, as cold washes, packs, and the like. 

But the fever returns again and again, and increases more 
and more. In diphtheria the danger of suffocation becomes 
greater and greater. 

The nature doctor himself now grows uneasy and loses 
his composure. 

Without the wind is howling as if he would call out that he, 
too, is there; that he, too, has a great and important place to 
fill in the economy of nature; but the nature doctor does not 
hear. He leans against the window, the cool air blows in and 
cools his heated brow, he feels it to be a comfort, but still does 
not understand what message the breath of air is bringing him. 



♦Going naked temporarily is called in the nature-cure method 
taking a "light-and-air bath." But I do not see why we cannot speak 
plain so that everybody can at once understand us. 



- 56 - 

The patient who during a high fever has lost his reason 
and understanding (divine gifts often falsely employed), and dis- 
regards them, follows once again exclusively his instinct, a sure 
guide. 

The child, stricken with diphtheria, tosses to and fro on his 
bed. He would throw T the covering from him if he could. 

The delirious typhoid patient strives with all his energy, 
which nature seems to have increased in the violent fever, to 
escape outdoors, but past the water basin in which he had just 
been immersed in cold water, screaming and chattering — he 
wants to fly out of the window into the icy air. 

Everybody near the patient becomes excited and alarmed. 
"Nature speaks here almost as through earthquake and thunder- 
claps. But the doctor remains deaf. He did once indeed atten- 
tively listen to the croaking voice of the professor who delivered 
a scientific lecture on the cure of lung troubles and who died a 
few years later of consumption ; but the mighty voice of nature 
he heeds not. Nor does he understand it. 

Full of love, and trembling with anxiety for her suffering 
darling, the mother sits beside the bed of the child stricken with 
diphtheria. Again and again she covers him carefully. Sancta 
simplicitasl O, saintly simplicity! 

The grown-up typhoid patient is attended during the night 
by a guard of three or four strong men, so that he may in no 
case follow the voice of nature. 

But although man wilfully rejects her offers , nature is 
nevertheless intent on showering on him in every possible way 
and by all means her blessings and benefits. 

There is a story of how nature lulled to sleep the watchers, 
these hirelings of human unreason, so that the patient, without 
clothes, might escape through the window into the frosty Winter 
night. 

In a neighboring house, it is related, nature resorted to still 
more drastic measures to save a fever patient : the clear night of 
Winter was suddenly rent by tremendous thunderclaps, as if God 
were in wrath. 



— 57 — 

Suddenly, with a crash, lightning- struck the house of the 
patient. Everything was ablaze- People awoke from their sleep 
and ran and lied in wild confusion, the patient with the rest, 
naked as he was. 

The bells were tolling, men and women with diseased and 
excited nerves ran aimlessly hither and thither; one was trying 
to save his nightcap, another the washbasin with the water. 

When they had somewhat regained their senses, they 
thought of the patients, and started, as they believed, in search 
of their dead bodies. 

However, they found them doing finely, the fever had en- 
tirely left them, and to the surprise of everybody they began 
to improve and grow well from that time. 

Xature annihilates with lightning only what is rotten and 
decayed, only what is diseased, and thus sternly punishes disloy- 
alty to her laws. 

Lightning does not kill the healthy animals of the forest, 
but the sick domestic animals and still more sick man. 

If all the ignorance and stupidity in the world could be em- 
bodied in One Being, and if God should strike it with His light- 
ning, millions upon millions of His children would again become 
happy creatures and be a pleasure to look upon. 

Such and similar stories are related everywhere and of al- 
most eveiw sick chamber. 

I am firmly convinced of the actual occurrence of cases in 
which delirious fever patients have passed some time outdoors, 
in the severest cold, almost naked, with the happiest results. 

I have been positively assured of the actual occurrence of 
a number of such cases. 

On the other hand I am myself aware that many, if not 
most of such tales, have been exaggerated by popular fancy, if 
they have not been invented altogether. 

But where do we find deeper truths than in popular myths 
and folklore? 

Xor do I doubt that many a patient who in the agony of 
death rushed into the open, nevertheless died. 



- 58 - 

As I have already shown, the natural bath is accompanied 
by the most wonderful effects in the healing of acute diseases, 
in which it promptly allays the dangerous fever. But obviously 
the natural bath cannot be employed for as long a time and as 
frequently as the light-and-air bath, which consists in tempor- 
arily walking about in a state of nudity. 

Domestic animals which are compelled by man to live very 
unnatural lives, and which pass their time almost continually 
in dark,, narrow stalls, in the foul atmosphere of their own dung, 
often feeding on unnatural food, like decayed turnip leaves, etc., 
frequently fall seriously ill. But we never find among them 
high, dangerous fevers ; we never find that sick animals grow 
delirious like a typhoid patient. 

Every veterinary physician will confirm this; that is if he 
is not told beforehand that his testimony is to be used in favor 
of the natural cure. 

The diseases o-f domestic animals would pass off still more 
mildly if on the appearance of the first symptoms they were 
driven into the open, in all sorts of weather and temperature, 
instead of being anxiously shut off from all light and air in 
narrow, dingy stables. 

In men the fever reaches dangerous degrees and often be- 
comes fatal only because the internal heat cannot continually 
stream out and cannot be kept down by very cold air, as is the 
case among animals which are naked. 

The heat of the body is reduced by the cold of the air in 
the same way as a hot liquid is cooled by placing the vessel con- 
taining it into cold water. 

It ought, therefore, to be the nature doctor's first concern, 
when he is called to a sick person, to take the clothes o'>- the bed- 
ding from his body, and if he cannot take him into the open-air, 
at least to let him go about or lie naked in the room, with as 
many windows open as possible, even in the coldest winter day, 
from fifteen to twenty minutes according to the temperature, oi 
in summer from one to three hours. 



- 59 — 

In Summer the cool of the morning- can be used for this 
purpose. The colder it is the surer will be the effect. 

Egypt was once beset with darkness for three days. It 
seems as if mankind were to be visited with such an evil for over 
three thousand years. 

Colds! is what every aunt and cousin, every Philistine ex- 
claims, and even the nature doctors cannot entirely free them- 
selves from the fear of them, although they well know that colds, 
like acute diseases, are nothing but curative crises, and are there- 
fore under all circumstances most favorable symptoms, and not 
only entirely harmless under correct treatment, but always of the 
greatest benefit to the body. 

The weed that has grown rank in their brains at the uni- 
versity, has so entirely overrun them that it can never again be 
quite eradicated. 

Oh ! that God would once again send a great man, possessed 
of all wisdom and the eloquence of angels, to put to flight the 
fear of colds and of light and air, the greatest benefactors of 
mankind, which could make many a one well and happy again 
and save many a precious life! 

Especially for man, who is the highest of the light-and-air 
creatures, light and air are the true life-elements. According to 
nature's design he ought to move in them naked, day and night, 
Winter and Summer. 

But since in this respect man has sinned against nature for 
such a long time, the return to nature here becomes an all the 
more pressing and immediate necessity. It is greatly to be re- 
gretted that man cannot yet manage to go naked for a sufficiently 
long time to secure the full benefits of light and air. How can he 
ever do too much in this respect? Can he go naked longer than 
day and night Summer and Winter? 

It is a mistake to assume that man was originally covered 
with hair and that now, having lost his hairy fur, he cannot be 
without clothes. Only very few human beings (individual, rare 
exceptions) are hairy; the rest, including men who have hitherto 
lived entirely, or almost entirely, naked, are not hairy. The 



— 60 — 

hands, the forehead, the neck, and other parts of the body which 
have so far remained free from clothes, are without hair. Nature 
has surely fitted out man, the highest of her creatures, with a 
naked skin for the reason that he should come into most direct 
contact w T ith light and air, the preservers of all higher life. He 
must, therefore, now suffer all the more from the wearing of 
clothes, and has so much more to gain from going naked. 

The very circumstance that light and air cause colds proves 
how very much they stimulate the vitality, and as draughts and 
cold air are the most fruitful source of colds we see that they are 
the most favorable and best means for curing diseases. 

The reason for the provision of cold, of Winter, in nature 
is to interrupt the fermentations of the earth, of plant and animal 
life, to kill all bacilli, bacteriae, microbes, tubercles, and such like 
organisms. But such an effect is to be desired above all in the 
sick body of man. 

Many a person could soon kill the organisms producing 
the itch if he would only go naked in the open air on cold Winter 
days, just as many consumptives could by such a light-and-air 
bath most surely kill the bacilli in their lungs after awhile, which 
are the product of the foreign matter fermenting there. 

The weak and the sick, more than the healthy and strong, 
are the very persons who are in need of such a cooling down of 
the inner heat and a strengthening of their vitality. They ought 
to be persuaded, therefore, to take the light-and-air bath above 
all things else and in every kind of weather and at all tempera- 
tures. 

When I once asked a nature doctor why the light-and-air 
bath was in such little use, especially in fevers, he replied : "There 
really have not been enough experiments made with it as yet." 

The course in our high schools and colleges lasts many 
years, a course of medicine requires five years, and in 
this long time, which for the sake of greater proficiency 
is even extended by most students, not enough "formal ed- 
ucation" has been acquired to enable a "thinking" nature doctor 
to conclude from his own observation of the processes in nature 



6i 



and from the important part which light and air, warmth and 
cold play there, and without the aid of previous experiments, 
that the light-and-air bath is the most harmless ( ! ! !), the most 
effective, and indeed the very best means for the preservation 
of health and the cure of diseases, both acute and chronic ! 

However, I can assure such timid men that the many trials 
which I have made with the light-and-air bath, in the most varied 
cases of sickness, have yielded splendid results, as I well knew 
beforehand. 

For the most part, after I had explained matters to them, 
the patients submitted willingly and gladly to the light-and-air 
bath from the start. 

Young people as well as old, who had become exceedingly 
delicate from the wearing of much woollen underclothing and 
by shutting themselves off from light and air in other ways, went 
at once and without passing through intermediate stages naked 
into the open air, in wind and weather, in ram and snow storms, 
even at lozv temperatures. 

Some were so weak that they could hardly walk to the 
place where the light-and-air bath was to be taken. Directly 
they were naked they began to feel stronger, and could always 
walk home more easily and quickly than they had come. There 
were among these light-and-air bathers not only some very weak, 
but also some very old and venerable people, over seventy and 
eighty years of age. 

In acute diseases, especially in high fevers, the patients 
always experienced such a refreshing, strengthening effect that 
they would not leave the open window even on the most urgent 
pleading of frightened relatives. In one case even cold air of 
fifteen degrees Reaumur was streaming in at the window upon 
the completely naked body. 

The improvement and convalescence, especially in acute 
cases, was so rapid and striking that the people about the patient 
were full of astonishment. 

At Jungborn it was in the cool season especially that the 
light-and-air baths created the greatest enthusiasm. 



- 62 — 

In speaking about cold light-and-air baths, moreover, the 
thing sounds much worse than it is, just as a storm appears much 
more uncanny to us when we are sitting in a warm room than 
when we are sitting right in the midst of it. 

One does, indeed, gain a good deal of bodily warmth and 
energy through the light-and-air bath, so that it becomes more 
and more easy to take, and seems less extraordinary as we go 
along. Of course, the light and air bath on beautiful Summer 
mornings is the most pleasurable; first the delightful coolness 
of the fresh morning, then the warm sunshine, and again the 
agreeable change of a cool shade. But we must take our light- 
and-air bath as we can have it, and in Winter there is the advan- 
tage that the cooling off is much more powerful and does not 
require so much time as in Summer. 

After what I have said of the light-and-air bath there is, 
I suppose, no longer any need of assuring a reasonable person 
that in no case has there been any bad effect from it. In a few 
cases of very serious chronic disease, I could indeed have wished 
that a bad cold or some other acute disease had been contracted. 
I should surely have taken advantage of that for the good of 
the patient, but I have not yet had the good fortune to experience 
such a favorable case. If a cold does set in, it becomes still more 
important to continue diligently to take the light-and-air baths. 
The vitality is in this manner raised more and more, increasing 
the body's ability to throw off foreign matter, while at the same 
time the heat that is thus produced is cooled, so that the patient 
experiences no distress, but soon feels relieved. 

It is absolutely necessary that the nature doctor should be 
perfectly clear in his own mind with regard to the light-and-air 
bath, and should remain perfectly calm. If a cold should 
frighten him, and he should now shut the patient off from the 
air in a warm room, and perhaps even have recourse to medi- 
cines, the body would be weakened, the foreign matter that has 
been set in motion is obstructed, and the cold can so become very 
disagreeable, even dangerous. 



- 63 - 

But certainty and quiet wins, as I always convince myself, 
the layman first. Therefore let every one try first for himself 
the light-and-air bath and then for his family, trusting to wise 
nature and her beneficent means more than to the advice of err- 
ing" men. 

I have often marveled how men, and women as well, in con- 
sequence of the wonderful effect experienced from the light-and- 
air bath, continued it with true enthusiasm, not only in Summer, 
but even in Winter before an open window. 

It is not the fault of the public if the light-and-air bath is 
not generally introduced, but of the Naturopaths alone. For the 
people are not educated to think for themselves in caring for 
their health, but always to hear without judging what is preached 
to them. 

It is most natural and best to go naked day and night, Sum- 
mer and Winter, taking the light-air bath without interruption 
The old Teutons in our part of the country went almost entirely 
naked, with a loose hide at most thrown around the shoulders. 

This was even more true, in proportion as they clung to 
nature in their diet, subsisting on the fruits of the forest, in 
addition to only on milk, and, to be sure, on meat, but on the 
meat of healthy animals, and not on the increasingly artificial 
preparations of agricultural products, nor on alcohol and other 
stimulants. 

But what man among the present effeminate, and ener- 
vated generation could still continuously go naked, even if there 
were no other difficulties in the matter? Therefore each must 
decide for himself how long and how often, according to the 
temperature and opportunity and time at his disposal, he can 
take the light-and-air bath. The dictum here is : the more 
and the longer the better. 

Much more effective than in the room, of course, is the 
light-and-air bath in the open, in the woods. In our forests 
there are countless places where one can take it undisturbed 
early in the morning, which in summer is the most appropriate 



- 6 4 - 

time. Where there is a will, there will also be found an op- 
portunity and a way for the light-and-air bath." 

Public bathing places offer a very favorable opportunity 
for light-and-air bathing in the open. There one can at any time 
go naked unmolested, as long as he likes, of course, with bath- 
ing trunks. It would be the simplest thing to enlarge our 
public water-bathing institutions and make arrangements for 
light-and-air bathing. 

But those who have no opportunity for light-and-air bath- 
ing in the open, especially women, can take it daily in the 
room by open windows, in summer as well as in winter. One 
can, of course, begin with it on the very coldest days. Espec- 
ially children ought to have a light-and-air bath from the day 
of their birth, — if in the room, preferably in the morning on 
rising. They will soon delight and revel in it. In this way a 
hale and hearty generation may yet perhaps arise. It is ad- 
visable not to wear any clothing whatever during the light- 
and-air bath, no shoes and stockings, no bathing trunks, etc. 

In cold weather, especially, one ought to take a great deal 
of exercise during the light-and-air bath by walking and run- 
ning. 

It is of course peremptory to become thoroughly warm 
again after the light-and-air bath. This is best accomplished 
by brisk walking or by physical work, also by housework, or by 
wrapping in woollen blankets or bedding. 

It is a mistake to think that the light-and-air bath is taken 
for the purpose of feeling colder. We take it in order to feel 
warmer at all other times, for it is well known that he suffers 
most from cold who is always sitting about a warm stove. 

The effect of going naked in the room is most excellent. 

If the natural bath, including a wash of the entire body 
and a thorough rubbing, is taken before the light-and-air bath, 
the blood is forced to the extremities and to the surface of the 



*At night also the body takes in purer air and is cooled during the 
light-and-air bath. Therefore it may also be taken at night. 



- 65 - 

skin, and the light-and-air bath can be endured more easily and 
for a longer time. One trial will confirm me in this. 

It is also very beneficial, besides taking the light-and-air 
bath, to go bareheaded in the rain. 

Besides taking the light-and-air bath, one ought to go bare- 
footed whenever there is time and opportunity for it. 

Drying with tozvels after a water-application, also after 
bathing the head and going barefooted, is contrary to nature 
and ought to be dispensed with. 

One ought to take as much exercise as possible in the open 
air. 

The windows in the bed-room must ahvays be open at night, 
Winter and Summer. 

One kind of light-and-air bathing is the sunbath. You 
lie On the ground, preferably in the woods, without clothing 
But if the sun is very warm, novices must protect themselves 
against burning by a covering of porous cloth, or still better, 
fresh leaves and branches. 

Farther on I shall explain how one can protect himself best 
against getting burned, by rubbing the body with moist earth. 
Getting sunburned is not really harmful and dangerous, but 
it may become very painful and unpleasant. It is therefore ad- 
visable to avoid as far as one may the scorching of the body 
by the sun. But if it should nevertheless occur, the remedy to 
be applied is cold water and wet compresses (also compresses 
of moist earth). The customary oils and salves should be 
avoided. 

In the hot sun the sunbath must not last too long. One 
can take the light-and-air bath by alternating between sun and 
shade. 

It is of great importance that the sunbath should be taken 
lying on the earth, not on mattresses or even roofs, as has 
been sometimes done. Man belongs to the earth. 

I shall speak more in detail also of the great influence 
which the mere earth exerts on man in all cases where he 
comes into direct contact with it. 

A2 



— 66 — 

If there is no opportunity to take the light-and-air bath 
naked, the next best thing is to take it only lightly dressed in 
the open or in one's room, as the case may be. The face should 
always be protected against the sun. 

After the sunbath one must always see to the cooling of 
the body by means of the natural bath. 

LIGHT=AND-AIR HUTS AND COTTAGES. 

One great benefit to health comes from sleeping in huts 
and cottages situated entirely in the open, and which at all 




6$ 

A.vH.W.Vc/st.Br. 



Light and Air Hut in a Woodpark, Near Brunswick, Germany. 

times offer free access to light and air. 

We call them light-and-air huts and light-and-air cottages, 
but there is nothing about them in the way of appointments that 



- 6 7 - 

would make of them special hygienic apparatuses and insti- 
tutions. 

They are huts with a roof to keep the rain from coming 
through, but without walls, or only lattice walls. For protec- 
tion against stormy weather they are provided with curtains. 
For winter (for they may be used also at this season) they 
can be kept warm and made to keep out the snow by means of 
straw and partition walls penetrable by the air. 

It is still better to erect more perfect cottages, with thicker 
walls, adapted to real dwelling purposes. But they must be 
sufficiently provided with windows, blinds, ventilators, etc., to 
permit the ingress, when open, of plenty of fresh air. "The 
ceiling must be provided with ventilators which may be opened 
when windows and doors are closed.'' I refer to the illustrations 
of the light-and-air huts of Jungborn. 

Pure, fresh air is required by the body especially in the 
night, when it is chiefly engaged in the work of digestion. 
Therefore sleeping in such a hut is very important. More 
than is at present the case, owners of gardens, parks, and woods 
ought to build such light-and-air huts and cottages for dwell- 
ing purposes. 

The rooms of houses, even if they are in the woods, are 
apt to be penetrated with the odors from the cellar, the kitchen, 
closets, garbage heaps, etc. The air is vitiated, moreover, by 
the circumstance that several, often many persons live in a 
house side by side, and below and above one another, and that 
stone walls retain foul odors a long time. They are therefore 
never filled with entirely pure, unvitiated air. But this is the 
case in light-and-air huts. 

Absolutely pure air is of the greatest importance in the 
healing of all diseases, whether catarrh or typhoid fever, 
cholera, rheumatism, cancer or scurvy, a fresh wound or a 
running, open sore.* 



*While speaking of the great importance of pure, unvitiated air 
I want to call attention to another very dangerous enemy in our pres- 



— 68 — 

Health is the foundation of all happiness, man can enjoy 
earthly pleasures only in the measure of his health. Only when 
this shall have come to be more widely recognized, will people 
begin to appreciate and build light-and-air cottages. 

Living or sleeping in one of these beautiful cottages, sur- 
rounded by nature, will then no longer be a matter for surprise, 
but will be regarded as infinitely preferable to occupying dark 
and dingy apartments in cities, poisoned by foul odors, the 
breeding places of all diseases which not alone weaken and un- 
dermine the body, but are also the cause of all the defects of the 
mind and soul, of idiocy and insanity, of lust and self-abuse, of 
vice, and crime, of hate and envy, of contention and strife, in 
short, of all the ills of the earth. 

One need not be afraid of freezing in one of these open 
light-and-air cottages during low temperature. In the open, 
in the woods one can sleep very comfortably in a light-and-air 
cottage during the coldest winter, if one has only a few 
feather beds or quilts, because the body develops more heat 
when breathing pure, fresh air than it does when breathing the 
foul and stuffy air in houses. 

The light-and-air cottage protects the sleeper and his 
clothing during the night against rain. During fair weather it is 
advisable to place the bed outside the cottage and sleep entirelv 



ent mode of living— I mean gas light. In apartments with gas fix- 
tures, even if gas is not used, flowers never thrive; they soon begin 
to wilt and finally die. Shrubs and trees along promenades and in 
parks in the neighborhood of gas mains likewise often die. The 
smallest quantities of gas escaping from the stops and fixtures affect 
the organism most injuriously. The bad, poisonous air of the cities 
originates largely from the gas works. The pallor and poor health 
of office workers are chiefly caused by gas. In sanitaria and hos- 
pitals gas is a thing unknown. Any other kind of light (petroleum, 
etc.), is less injurious than gas light. The electric light is, of course, 
superior to all the others. It is to be regretted only that where there 
is no water power for the production of electric light, recourse must 
be had to steam, whereby the nuisance of smoke-stacks belching forth 
enormous masses of dense, suffocating smoke is still more increased. 



- 69 - 

in the open. To this end take a strawtick or a quilt (woollen or 
cotton) covered with coarse linen or thick burlap for mattress, 
and a quilt for covering, so that the whole outfit can be easily 
transported, and place the mattress on the ground. 

We shall thus soon become aware that nature rewards 
every step that is taken toward her, for it is still more beneficial 
and healthful to sleep entirely in the open than in a light-and-air 
hut. 

In the open where we can soar unhindered to the stars, 
and where soft zephyrs waft about us, beautiful nights are truly 
enchanting, and all the infirmities of the body and soul heal 
quickly. 

Dann gehet leise 
Nach seiner weise, 
Der Hebe Herrgott durch den Wald. 

With footsteps holy 
Then walketh slowly 
Our beloved Lord through the woods. 

Seriously considered there is nothing ostentatious or 
ridiculous when a man once more puts up his bed outside of a 
house, entirely in the open, where hare and deer, stag and boar, 
and so many others of God's creatures retain and preserve 
their clear, bright eyes, their physical activity and strength, their 
perfect health, that precious talent which the Lord has en- 
trusted to them. These do not do as the men who to-day 
neglect their health, yes, even trample it under foot, so that their 
entire earthly existence is embittered by misery and disease and 
it will be difficult for them in the time to come to account for the 
talent entrusted to them. We shall soon see farther on how 
sleeping on the bare ground is a most natural and healthy 
practice. 

I must observe also that light frame dwelling houses are 
more healthful than those built more massively. 

More small houses ought to be built again, surrounded by 



— 70 — 

gardens and trees, if possible. Our present large, barrack-like 
houses with thick stone walls in narrow, stuffy streets are ob- 
viously not conducive to health. 

In cities, therefore, people ought to try to live on the out- 
skirts. 




Light-Air Cottage in Jungborn, Germany. 
Dwelling houses ought always to be so built and the rooms 
so arranged that very much light and air can at all times 
stream in. 



— 7i — 

So-called architectural beauty need not, therefore, be neg- 
lected. But here, too, it were well to aspire towards greater 
naturalness and simplicity. 

OUR CLOTHING. 

According to the intentions of nature man should go naked; 
his body is constructed for this mode of life. If this were not 
so, he would have perished before the time came when he had 
invented the requisite tools and machinery for the making of 
clothes. Therefore, strictly speaking, man ought not to wear 
any clothes whatever. 

All dress with which we drape the nude body only for a 
moment is contrary to nature, and always injures health. We 
no longer have any idea of man's original state of health, of 
his physical and spiritual powers, the duration of his life, and his 
higher capacity for happiness; and for this reason we do not 
recognize what inconceivable harm the wearing of clothes and 
the consequent deprivation of the body of light and air have 
brought to mankind. 

There are to-day still a number of nations within the tem- 
perate zone who go naked the year round, Summer and Winter 
(for instance, the Fire Islanders and others). But a few years 
ago the newspapers published accounts of a European — a certain 
Captain Schmidt — who went naked during his voyages in all 
zones. 

I suppose I need not here enter into the reasons why we 
cannot at present expect that all men should suddenly go naked 
again. 

But it is of great importance that in the choice and con- 
struction of our clothing we should strive to allow as much 
light and air as possible to have access to the body, .and to offer 
as few obstacles as possible to the transpiration of the skin. 

Of late a sufficient variety of porous material for men and 
women's clothing lias been put on the market, but the garments 
must not only be very porous and airy, they must also fit the 
body very loosely. 



— 72 — 

No one need to-day dress so peculiarly and in such poor 
taste as to attract attention, but neither need he be the slave 
of an absurd fashion or place any value on beautiful clothes. 

It has indeed been observed that "fine clothes make fine 
men." This is very discouraging. But let us hope that a better 
opinion may yet prevail later, and that we may yet learn to 
appreciate higher things. 

Many different kinds of health shirts have made their ap- 
pearance. They are still very faulty. I cannot recommend 
woollen shirts, for wool worn next to the body makes the skin 
too tender. No one would ever think of covering or bandaging 
a wound or ulcer with wool. But what is bad for the injured 
or sick skin cannot be very good for the sound skin. 

Many cotton shirts are still not porous enough; often they 
shrink upon washing and become like felt. 

Linen shirts, also, besides being too heavy, are often not 
porous enough. 

Some shirts are too fine and thin, and consequently adhere 
too closely to the skin. 

And in many health shirts the quality of durability leaves 
still much to be desired. 

All these faults must be considered when buying shirts — 
this important article of clothing of the present. 

At Jungborn Mahr's shirts are worn, in the manufacture of 
which many of my wishes have been considered by the manu- 
facturer. 

These Jungborn shirts are in great favor and have so far 





Net or Air Cell Shirt. 



- 73 — 

answered their purpose in every way. The accompanying figure 
shows the material of which they are made. It is very porous 
and not too Fine, so that the shirt does not cling too closely 
to the body. It is cream colored, but might as well be white, 
of course. In illustrating the material, I wished merely to give 
a sample of a design. 

Above all, people sin against their feet to-day. The feet 
excrete more morbid matter than any other part of the body, 
as is shown by their perspiration. Therefore the feet ought to be 
uncovered at frequent intervals. Unfortunately the very reverse 
is the case at present. The feet are squeezed into tight leather 
shoes, to the greatest agony and injury of the people's health. 

Leather shoes ought not to be made tight fitting. Cloth 
— that is, canvas — shoes are much more healthful than leather 
shoes. Canvas shoes can be had everywhere nowadays. Rubber 
and leather are especially bad for the skin. Therefore leather 
shoes, leather gloves, rubber suspenders and the like ought to 
be avoided. Thin cotton stockings are better than woollen ones. 

Gloves ought to be dispensed with entirely, but if they must 
be worn preference should be given to thread and worsted 
gloves. Suspenders, also, are to be had of strong, elastic 
cotton material. This is the kind worn at the Jungborm 

Above all, people should go barefooted again. 

There are, of course, still many prejudices to be overcome 
before we can go barefooted again without attracting attention. 
But we should not be too timid in this respect, but take courage 
and boldly set a good example, for we are thereby advancing 
a great and important cause. Such a cause deserves sacrifice, 
and we shall soon find followers. 

If we lack the courage to go barefooted in the streets of 
our cities, we ought at least to do it in the country, on walking 
tours, etc. 

But every one can certainly go with bare feet in open 
sandals in his own house, his own room, and in this manner 
one may enjoy splendid comfort. 

I for my part cannot see why the wearing of sandals should 



74 



not be beautiful. The ancient Greeks, and the kings of antiquity 
whom we see pictured with sandals looked stately indeed. Pres- 
ent-day sandals still have many faults. They sometimes rub and 
press the foot. The Jungborn sandals, which have been made 
according to my directions, and are shown on the accompanying 
cut, are free from these defects. They leave the foot free, as 
far as that is possible, and are comfortable. This cut, too, may 
serve as a pattern. 




Air Shoe. 



Sandal 



Trousers were held in great contempt among the ancients. 
Whoever wore trousers was considered a barbarian. The toga, 
a loose garment with rich folds, was looked upon as the genteel 
dress. 

Nevertheless the men of to-day will probably not soon ex- 
change their trousers for a toga or any other simple cloak. It 
is not easy to attempt anything against this oreference. But 
men might at least discard their drawers and other underwear. 

Tt is, however, quite incomprehensible why women and girls, 
even very little girls, should wear drawers. I don't want to in- 
veigh against the custom here too strongly, but I am firmly con- 
vinced that many female troubles, womb troubles, difficult labor, 
hysterics, etc., would not occur if women did not wear drawers, 
and if the air could circulate around the abdomen. 

Let who will act accordingly. 

A terrible monster has found refuge in the wardrobe of our 
skirls and women — the CORSET. 



75 



The old instruments of torture which are exhibited as the 
relics of past times., and which are intended to prove the cruelty 
which men were once capable of, do not impress me as more 
terrible than the corset of the present day. The aforesaid instru- 
ments of torture, moreover, were employed for the punishment 
of great criminals, who suffered torture under compulsion ; our 
girls and women, however, compress their body by means of 





Natural size of waist. 



Reduced size, caused by tight lacing-. 



the corset until they can hardly breathe, and so commit this 
cruelty against themselves voluntarily. This is a strange riddle. 

Women have gradually become accustomed to their suffer- 
ings; therefore they can hardly realize them any more. But in 
reality no less suffering is occasioned by the corset than was 
once caused by the old instruments of torture. 

Much has been said and written against the corset, but 
mostly in vain. I shall not waste any more words on the subject. 
As long as fainting fits, hysterics, and all sorts of weakness and 



- 76 - 

misery are taken for joy and happiness, and pale, pitiable figures 
are looked upon as models of beauty, the corset will continue to 
hold sway. 

When men shall have been sufficiently punished for their 
follies in this regard, God will surely let them come to an under- 
standing of themselves. 

There are nowadays plenty of suspenders and similar expedi- 
ents, of which women can avail themselves if they wish to wear 
loose garments which shall in no way compress the body and in 
the least impede the free circulation of the blood. 

The so-called LUT SEN-COSTUMES (named after Queen 
Luise of Prussia) would most nearly meet hygienic requirements. 

It is time the swaddling-cloth, in which new-born babies are 
placed and whereby they are from the start seriously injured in 
their development, were discarded. 

Children have much more vitality and animal heat than 
adults. They can stand being naked a great deal better than 
older people. 

They instinctively seek to throw off their clothes entirelv 
at frequent intervals. They are in a state of exultation whenever 
their swaddling-bands and clothes are removed. Let us, there- 
fore, heed the voice of nature and allow the children frequently 
to lie and go about naked. But always have them lightly dressed. 

If you will cease to be too solicitous with regard to their 
clothing, good mother, your children will one day be very grate- 
ful to you. Their gratitude will be greater than you can im- 
agine. 

Going barefooted is the greatest joy of children. Let us 
allow them this joy, and not be unreasonable by restraining them 
from following the paths that lead away from the modern dis- 
eases and sufferings and an early grave. If we are reasonable 
in this regard, they will no longer in the future cause us so 
much anxiety, sorrow, and bitter suffering. 

But why do mothers, without knowing it, turn their tender 
love into hard cruelty, and deny to their children — their greatest 
treasure on earth — the purest joys which nature holds out to 



— 77 — 

them, causing them thereby suffering and bitter woe their whole 
life long? Who can solve this riddle? 

Let us only look at the fresh and hearty street urchins in 
the country and at the gipsy children who go barefooted and 
wear scant clothing, ragged and more than porous, allowing the 
wind to whistle through. After that no one need any longer 
be in doubt as to what to do to keep children healthy. 

Going BAREHEADED is likewise a good practice, alike 
for children and for adults. Why do we take off our hat on 
saluting a person, or on serious, solemn occasions, for instance, 
at church, at funerals, or at prayer? A still, small voice yet re- 
minds us that covering the head, the seat of intelligence in man, 
is contrary to the intentions of nature, to God's command, and 
consequently sinful. On solemn occasions we involuntarily re- 
frain from committing this sin. 

Nature originally adorned the head of man with long, wavy, 
curly hair, which especially in woman ought to envelop the 
beautiful body in long, golden tresses. But man abuses this 
wonderful, natural adornment when he covers his head. He 
destroys it, moreover, and that is very foolish and sinful. The 
head of the Saviour never wore a covering; it was adorned only 
by a crown of thorns. 

The more thoroughly the head is covered, the more does 
the hair suffer, until it entirely disappears. 

Here it is plainly seen that instead of becoming more hand- 
some we grow more homely when we destroy the ornament of 
nature, for a bald pate is certainly homely.* 

Hats and caps should be light and porous, with no leather 
inside of them. They may be provided on the inside with strips 



*A11 who desire to regain better hair must live according to 
nature (water, light, air, diet), and leave the head uncovered when- 
ever possible. Temporary earth compresses (see farther on), by 
which foreign matter is withdrawn from the skin of the head, will 
prove serviceable. The natural treatment will provide the hair with 
more favorable conditions for its development. 



78 




— 79 ~ 

of cloth (woollen). But it is advisable to avail one's self of 
every opportunity for going bareheaded. 

In our houses and rooms the head ought to remain uncov- 
ered. And we should always go bareheaded on getting outside 
the city limits. 

If men could only be prevailed upon to once more go bare- 
footed, bareheaded,, and if possible with a bare breast, like sail- 
ors, an incalculable gain would be theirs. They would thereby 
take an immense step toward nature, and a great breach would 
be made in the endless ranks of chronic diseases. 

Nevertheless we need never go so scantily clothed as to be al- 
ways cold and to make one's life miserable. 

If we will only in every way begin to live a more natural 
life, we shall gradually acquire so much animal heat, that we 
shall gladly, and of our own accord, discard one warm piece of 
clothing after another. We shall not only be able to easily do 
without them then, they will even become oppressive. 

Many a person, on merely hearing of a natural life, will 
anxiously think of the many clothes, furniture, and the like, 
which have hitherto brought him comfort and enjoyment, and 
which in future he will have to discard. But this is an entirely 
false fear. 

Let everyone for the present keep his clothes and enjoy his 
other comforts. But in returning to nature many of these at- 
tributes of civilization will gradually become not only super- 
fluous, but more and more an uncomfortable burden. They will 
then be cheerfully discarded, and the greater simplicity and free- 
dom from wants will be sure to create increased joy and hap- 
piness. 

Therefore let us return to nature! We shall thus enter 
upon the way that leads to gladness and joy, to happy simplicity 
and freedom from wants. 

Clothes are required to-day only because of our effeminacy 
and because without them we cannot live and move in society 
without giving ofT'ence and causing embarrassment. This is the 



— 8o — 

purpose that clothes serve for, as far as necessary, otherwise 
they are of not the least use to us. 

We should not wish to shine and charm by our clothes, or 
to gain through them any factitious value. 

Thus we shall no longer feel the same concern about our 
clothes, and they will become indifferent to us. They will no 
longer worry us so much, or take up so much of our time and 
thought, and this will, indeed, be a great relief. 

We shall especially no longer care to stick and hang rings, 
bracelets, chains, and other gewgaws on our limbs and about 
our body. 

Jesus, the world's Saviour, exhorts His followers not to 
wear two coats, and He says further : 

"He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath 
none." 

Jesus would have pursued a false course, as did all mortals 
who came before Him and after Him and strove to make men 
happy once more and pleasing to God, if He had not above all 
led them back to nature. The Saviour and His teachings 
would in that case long ago have been engulfed in the sea of 
oblivion, just as those philosophers and sages have been for- 
gotten who did not recognize the claims of nature. 

In Jesus' time there was a small sect, called the Essenes 
by their contemporaries, of whom the Roman historians Josephus 
and Philo give us an account. These Essenes lived strictly 
natural lives, partly as hermits in the desert and on the moun- 
tains. In this manner they hoped to live a joyous, happy life 
on earth, free from sickness and want, and thus to prepare them- 
selves for heaven. 

The teachings of these Essenes, as the historians report 
them, have so much in common with the teachings of Jesus, as 
they are handed down to us through the New Testament, that an 
unbiased and unprejudiced mind cannot resist the conclusion 
that Jesus was an Essene. Even theologians do not deny it. 

I shall return to this later. Now the historians inform us 
that the Essenes avoided every superfluity and always possessed 



— 8i — 

only one white cloak, their sole bodily attire. This cloak evi- 
dently served the purpose of supplying the most indispensable 
covering for the body. The Essenes did not wish to give them- 
selves a handsome appearance, or to charm and shine by means 
of their dress. Therefore they wore their one cloak until it 
was entirely used up, and could no longer supply the most 
necessary covering for the body. Not until then did they pro- 
vide themselves with a new cloak. 

The frequent teachings of Jesus in regard to a natural 
mode of living have in the course of time almost been obliterated, 
or are entirely overlooked, or receive at least only a very super- 
ficial symbolic interpretation. 

In truth, however, the injunction, "He that hath two coats 
let him impart to him that hath none," was meant by Jesus to be 
understood in the same sense in which it was understood by the 
Essenes, and was meant to be taken literally. Strictly speaking, 
therefore, every Christian ought to give away all his many 
clothes to the poor, and keep absolutely only one garment for 
himself. 

Everyone must decide for himself, of course, how far un- 
der existing conditions and opinions he can go in the way of 
wearing a dress according to the requirements of nature and the 
teachings of the Saviour that is least injurious to health, and 
to what degree he can attain to simplicity and freedom from 
wants in the matter of clothing. 

But in getting new clothes we ought at least to begin more 
and more to consider the demands of hygiene, and to have more 
legard for simplicity, especially in the dress of women. When 
all is said and done, plain and simple clothes appeal more to 
the sense of beauty than all our present insane fashions. 

The women who dress in a plain and simple manner, and do 
not make of themselves thoughtless slaves of fashion, but rather 
defy fashion, can only be the gainers. They will in this way 
everywhere be sure of sympathy and respect. 

But let us no longer do homage to sinful vanity. 



82 



All who strive to make themselves attractive by means of 
costly clothes ought to heed the words of the Saviour: 

''Consider the lilies of the field ! And yet I say unto you, 
that even v Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of 
these."— Matt. 6:28. 

Only nature is beautiful, whatever is unnatural is ugly. 

The flowers of the field, the squirrel in the woods that 
sprightly and joyously flits from tree to tree, the graceful deer 
that gayly skips over brush and stone, the bird in bright 
plumage that merrily sings its song — all are beautiful. Beau 
tiful, too, was the Grecian woman, adorned by her flowing hair 
and the magnificent symmetry of her limbs, and robed in a 
light, flowing garment. The beauty of the Samoan women is 
greatly celebrated to-day, — these children of nature who but 
scantily clad roam the forests of their island in perfect innocence 
and guilelessness and with most charming grace, subsisting al- 
most entirely on the fruits which nature still offers profusely 
and freely. 

But dudes and fops, those prematurely old youths with 
bald pates, pointed shoes, monocles,, and other foppery, are ugly 
and disgusting. 

Ugly and repulsive, too, are those anaemic girls and women, 
resembling ghosts and scarecrows, who with laced bodies, rig- 
gings on their heads, with dangling and clinking chains, rings 
and spangles, walk the streets and boulevards of our cities. 
There is nothing winning about them, they rather offend every 
true and natural feeling. 

Jesus went into the minutest, detail in laying down His pre- 
cepts. He forbade His disciples even the use of a cane: 

"Provide neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves." — 
Matt. 10:10. 

It is more natural and, therefore, more healthful to walk 
without a cane. Nature is very strict, indeed. Whoever will 
give proper heed to it will himself feel that it is more beneficial 
for the body to walk without a cane. 

But not only in our clothes, also in. the way of furnishing 



- 8 3 - 

our houses there prevails to-day much luxury that is unnatural 
and injurious to health. 

In this respect we have also departed very far from that 
original state of nature when men dwelled under God's dome, 
under the starry heavens, under the shady canopy of trees, and 
sat and reclined on the bare earth. Nature herself then under- 
took the furnishing of the home, she used flowers, shrubs, and 
trees. 

In the first place upholstered furniture ought to be shunned 
and discarded, lp sitting and lying on soft bolsters certain parts 
of the body become overheated. Blood will accumulate in these 
parts, and cause disturbances of the circulation, weariness and 
languor, effeminacy and enervation generally. I for my part 
could never understand how people could really feel comfortable 
in a room stuffed with the most luxuriant upholstered furniture, 
which is at the same time the best of dust traps. Upholstered 
furniture might be replaced by rattan furniture with cane 
seats. Simple wooden chairs, benches and tables, such as one 
formerly found exclusively in the country, are better than up- 
holstered furniture. 

Much absurd usage prevails also in the decoration of win- 
dows. In the country people formerly never put up any sort of 
curtain or shade before a window. The light could stream in un- 
hindered and continuously, and this was right. In refined 
families it seems to be considered a pity that houses have win- 
dows through which the light can enter, and they seem to deem 
it necessary to drape them. 

They, consequently, not only provide the windows with 
shades which may be drawn together in case we wish to shut off 
the view of the interior from passersby, they also drape them 
with thick, impenetrable material which darkens the room 
permanently. But in this way the rooms are not only made un- 
wholesome, but also uncomfortable. 

[f the windows must be decorated, why not use some trans- 
parent material, arranged in a way, moreover, to bar out as little 
light and sun from the room as possible. 



- 84 - 

I want to devote a few words in this place to our BEDS. 
Man passes nearly half his time in bed. In bed he expects to 
recuperate, to gather strength, and to further his health. A 
great deal more attention ought therefore to be paid to beds, so 
that they may be made to conform to the requirements of 
nature. 

In the first place the bed, also, ought to allow the air to 
circulate freely. The outside air must mingle freely with the 
air under the bed-covers, which has become vitiated by the 
transpiration of the body. The feather-beds of to-day make this 
mingling of the air exceedingly difficult. Feather-beds ought to 
be discarded, therefore. Woollen quilts make the best covering. 
The cover that is next to the body ought to be rather thin, so as 
to more easily fold itself around the body. The quilts ought to 
be covered with very porous material. Under such woollen 
covers the body develops a more agreeable warmth. 

For a mattress the old-fashioned strawtick is most appro- 
priate. Straw enables the air to circulate freely, is very warm- 
ing, without heating unnaturally. But it would not do to let a 
straw fall on the carpet of our present-day elegant bed-chambers. 
Therefore the old-fashioned strawtick will not, presumably, be 
admitted again. 

But mattresses may also be made of other vegetable material, 
such as soft seagrass, oat chaff, and the like. Mattresses are 
best made entirely of wool like the quilts. Horse-hair and wool 
may be used. Horse-hair will prevent the wool from becoming 
so matted together from pressure in the course of time as to keep 
the air from passing through. 

The head should not be raised during sleep by means of 
pillows, or only very little. 

It is greatly to be recommended to lie entirely naked under 
the covers {without a shirt). One is much warmer in bed with- 
eut a shirt than with one. 

Airy mattresses are already in the market. Everyone is in 
a position to gradually replace individual parts of his old bedding 
by more hygienic pieces. 



- 85 - 

THE EARTH=POWER. 

The fish belongs to the water, here alone can it live and 
thrive. The bird is destined for the air, — that is its realm. 
"Wie im Reich der Luefte, Kcenig ist der Weih" (as the hawk is 
king in the realm of the air). If the bird wants to rest, it alights 
on a tree; it rarely touches the earth. (Of course, I do not here 
speak of the land fowl.) 

But man walks on the earth. 

As long as man wore no shoes or clothes, he was always in 
direct touch with the earth, both when he moved and when he 
rested. 

This direct connection with the earth was originally in no 
wise disturbed. 

Such a close connection of man with the earth is therefore 
the intention of nature. It corresponds, moreover, to a holy, in- 
violable law of nature, the transgression of which will always 
sternly be avenged. 

In my earnest and untiring efforts to return more and more 
to nature, to penetrate more and more to a knowledge of her laws, 
in order to place it in the service of my fellow-men, I have made 
this discovery, which will certainly prove of the utmost signific- 
ance. 

I observed plainly that going barefooted in the room and 
on boards was in no wise so effective, so refreshing, and so in- 
vigorating as going barefooted on the bare earth, even if the 
sand or the turf was completely dry. Foresters and forest labor- 
ers have assured me that it agrees much better with them, and 
that they derived much more strength from their rest if they lay 
directly on the earth in the woods instead of on a bench or 
other contrivance. 

We still possess a splendid treasure of myths from the time 
of the old Greeks. Among them is the story of Antaeus. 

When the giant Hercules was in the service of Eurystheus, 
he was ordered to fetch the golden apples of the Hesperides. 
But the golden apples of the Hesperides were guarded by the 
giant Antceus, the son of Geea, the earth goddess. Hercules 



— 86 — 

closed with Antaeus, and during the struggle Hercules observed 
that Antaeus always was refreshed and strong when he stood 
upon the earth, but became weak and powerless as soon as he was 
separated from the earth and lifted into the air. Therefore 
Hercules lifted Antaeus high up into the air, where he could 
easily strangle him. 

These old myths, as I have already observed, especially the 
folk-lore traditions, contain the profoundest truths. 

Long after men had turned their back on nature, and were 
living in unhappiness and misery, there still lingered in the soul 
of the people an intuition, an impression of the correct life, of 
past and future conditions, — especially how men originally lived 
in nature without sickness and want, what an unhappy state fol- 
lowed the violation of the laws of nature, and in what way sal- 
vation will come. This intuition, this impression has found ex- 
pression in poetic form, embellished by the imagination, in the 
myths which are often the creation of entire generations. These 
myths convey the truths of the past in quite a different way 
from history, which is written by individual men and which every 
one in his diseased condition has altered and fixed up ac- 
cording to his views and wishes. 

"What you the Spirit of the Ages call 
Is nothing but the spirit of you all, 
Wherein the Ages are reflected.'*' 

—Goethe, "Faust." 

The Bible is interwoven and embellished by a wreath of the 
most beautiful and most sacred myths. It contains the most 
sacred, and the profoundest truths concerning the past and the 
future of man, it is the Book of books. The Bible tells of the 
original perfectly happy state of man in paradise in the bosom 
of pure nature, of man's fall, the transgression of the laws of 
nature in respect to food, of the consequent misery, and of sal- 
vation. 

Jesus, as I have already stated, founded His theory of sal- 



- 8 7 - 

vation on the closest approach to nature, on a perfectly natural 
mode of living, without which there is no happiness for man. 
In the course of time many passages in the Bible have un- 
fortunately been falsified, both consciously and unconsciously, 
and it is to-day often wrongly understood and wrongly inter- 
preted. 

From the classical myth of Antaeus I inferred that the earth 
has a most refreshing, invigorating, and salutary influence upon 
man, her son, as soon as he cornes into direct touch with her. 

Animals and man are as much products of the earth as the 
plants ; in consequence of their higher development the former 
have only become separated from the earth, have become walking 
nerve-plants. But animals and man are still as much subject to 
the laws of nature as plants, they still draw their strength and 
vitality from the earth. 

After this I attached still greater importance to going bare- 
footed on the earth (without sandals), and became more than ever 
convinced of the great curative effect of going barefooted. But 
I also asked myself if this influence of the earth could not be uti- 
lized on behalf of man in a still greater degree. For the first 
thing, I no longer had the patients sleep in high bedsteads, but on 
strawticks or quilts on the ground in the open or in light-and-air 
cottages. They were thereby brought closer to the earth during 
sleep. This was at once felt as a gain ; sleeping became pleas- 
anter and was more invigorating. 

But soon the patients lay down on the soft grass entirely 
naked, even without a shirt, and covered themselves with quilts. 
They soon broke out in enthusiastic exclamations over the won- 
derful effect of the earth upon the body during the night's rest 
The opinion was often expressed that all diseases, but especially 
the score of serious nervous troubles of our age, would entirely 
lose their terrors if only sleeping and lying on the earth at night 
once became customary in the curing of diseases. It is indeed 
a fact that the effect which the forces of the earth have upon 
man during the night is quite incredible. Whoever has not him- 
self tried it and convinced himself of it, can have no conception 



— 88 — 

of how refreshing, vitalizing, and strengthening the effect of the 
earth is on the human organism at night during rest. 

The chief end of all healing art must be to aid and strengthen 
the digestion of the patient. Nothing accomplishes this end bet- 
ter than lying on the ground during the night, — however much 
the natural bath and the light-and-air bath may facilitate the 
movement of the bowels. 

By sleeping on the ground, consequently, more than by any- 
thing else the entire body is aroused from its lethargy to a new 
manifestation of vital energy, so that it can now effectively re- 
move old morbid matter and masses of old foeces from the in- 
testines, and receive a sensation of new health, new life, and new 
unthought-of vigor and strength. 

Whether it is because the body at night, especially during 
sleep, is lying perfectly quiet, or because the influence of the 
earth on the body is more powerful at night than in the day time, 
the fact certainly is that one does not experience the extraordinary 
curative effect of the earth nearly as much in going barefooted 
or in lying naked on the ground during a light-and-air bath and 
sun bath as at night. 

I have already mentioned the fact that animals, especially 
hares and deer, when they prepare their lair, carefully remove all 
leaves, bits of wood, etc. They evidently do this to be more di- 
rectly in touch with the earth, so that the forces of the earth may 
exert the strongest possible effect. The animals do not scrape to- 
gether grass, leaves, wood, and the like for their beds — birds only 
do this in order to prepare a warm nest for hatching. It is a very 
striking fact that the animals of the woods always remove all the 
wood and leaves, and even the snow, so as to make an entirely 
bare spot on the earth where they may lie down and rest. Some- 
times they also roll on the bare ground. In the case of deer, Ger- 
man hunters call this habit "plsetzen." 

The fox and badger drag many things into their dens, but 
their resting place is kept perfectly free. It is always on the 
bare ground. Wild boars will indeed creep into heaped-up 
leaves and under brush, but they tolerate nothing under them and 



- 89 - 

lie on the bare ground ; generally they even dig themselves into it 
to some extent. 

I once observed a domestic hog that was sick and was let out 
of its sty. On my advice it was left entirely alone, so that it 
might do what it wanted to. It went into the vegetable garden, 
grubbed itself somewhat into the ground in a cabbage bed, and 
remained quietly lying there. After a few days it returned and — 
was perfectly well. Of course, the animal left off feeding while 
it was sick. Thus the animals, although they are constantly in 
close relation with the earth in their normal activity, walking, 
and running, strive to get into especially close and direct touch 
with the bare earth when they rest and when they are sick. 

The agitation for a bed reform will be in order among men 
as long as there are beds, and the defectiveness of beds will be 
felt as long as men shall decline to sleep on the bed which kind 
nature herself has created for her creatures, and which she has en- 
dowed with a magic power by which man receives a greater en- 
joyment of life. 

Following the lead of nature, man lived originally in perfect 
sinlessness in the enjoyment of the purest happiness, in a state 
of unclouded bliss, such as the myths of paradise current among 
all civilized nations tell us about. But reason — the serpent in 
Paradise — held out to man the alluring prospect of reaping still 
greater advantages and pleasures for body, mind and soul if they 
would no longer obey the commands of God, the laws of nature 
[which God communicated to them through the organs of sense 
(smell, taste, etc.), instinct, and conscience], but would pursue 
their joys and happiness in their own way. 

Out of this false use of reason, out of this abuse of reason, 
as I remarked in the beginning of my book, grew science, the 
daughter of that serpent, not only the science of medicine, but 
also the other sciences (pedagogy, theology, philosophy, juris- 
prudence, etc.). Science does not observe the laws of nature in 
order to make mankind prosperous and happy. Medical science 
even declares that living strictly in accordance with nature would 
prove very injurious to man. Eating exclusively natural food 



— 90 




— 9 i ~ 

(fresh fruit) does not give sufficient strength and injures the 
health, and the more intimate contact with light and air is very 
dangerous (colds, etc.), it declares. Moreover, the natural mode 
of life would deprive us of many joys. On the basis of anatomical, 
chemical, and other researches, it then goes on to prescribe an 
artificial diet, of which it says that it is at once enjoyable and 
strengthening to man, and thus lays down hygienic rules which 
leave instinct, taste (in its correct use), and conscience entirely 
out of consideration. Other departments of science, such as 
pedagogy, theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, etc., would also 
make men good and noble, and lay down precepts which in other 
ways than through close communion with nature promise to 
guide men to happiness and contentment. 

In this way men came to put on shoes, to turn from the earth 
as their resting-place, and to make themselves bedsteads. They 
fancied thus to gain for themselves well-being, comfort, and joys 
which nature did not offer them. But men gain neither comfort 
nor enjoyment, neither health nor happiness, neither virtue nor 
nobility of following the false allurements of their reason and 
the teachings of science, but only disease and pain, disgust and 
vexation, vice and crime, misery and despair — the very opposite 
of what they wished to attain, for thus nature always avenges 
herself. 

"Life somewhat better might content him 

But for the gleam of heavenly light which Thou hast lent him : 
He calls it Reason — thence his power's increased, 
To be far beastlier [more unreasonable] than any beast." 

—Goethe, "Faust." 

Reason, this sublime gilt of heaven, has become to man a 
snare and the cause of all his woe. 

A certain bodily vigor, mental clearness, and joyousness of 
spirit, — true, complete health of body and soul, is not to be attained 
in any other way than by once more getting into direct relation 
with the earth, both when we are moving about and still more 
when we are at rest. 



- 9 2 - 

The late venerable prelate, Kneipp, of Woerishofen, deserves 
immortal fame for once more having made barefoot-going popu- 




FATHER KNEIPP, 
His Assistants and Woerishofen. 

lar, at least in southern Germany, so that a return to nature in 
this respect is there no longer looked upon as comical and ridicu- 
lous. It is to be hoped, in behalf of the well-being of mankind. 



— 93 — 

that this point of ^iew may force its way also in the north of our 
Fatherland. It is not to be expected that men shall all at once 
abandon their clothes and go naked all day long, there are still 
too many difficulties in the way of this health-giver to be over- 
come; or that they shall suddenly resort to the natural diet, and 
live exclusively on berries, fruit, and nuts : but they can at once 
begin going barefooted all day long, excepting a few very cold 
weeks in Winter, even in our climate, without ever feeling the 
custom as a torture or a burden, but rather as the greatest 
delight and pleasure. Going barefooted is no asceticism, but an 
augmentation of the enjoyment of life. For the earth has her 
son again, as soon as man goes barefooted, and can again shower 
on him fresh health and true happiness. The true regeneration 
and rejuvenation of to-day's sick, miserable, sinful, and wicked 
mankind will take place as soon as men shall again learn to go 
barefooted, not only for minutes and hours, but continuously at 
their daily work. 

The feet are in a certain sense for man what the roots are 
for plants. Man draws vital energy and strength out of the earth 
through his feet. 

Jesus also attached a great deal of importance to the practice 
of going barefooted; He Himself was also barefooted, and He 
gave to His disciples the command : 

"Carry neither shoes." — Luke 10:4. 

The order of barefoot monks, who always went barefooted, 
well knew that the blessings of Jesus' doctrine of salvation and 
happiness were not to be had without obeying the precepts with 
regard to a natural mode of life and the care of health which 
He impressed on His disciples, and through them on all Christen- 
dom, but which are unheeded now. 

Going barefooted, without sandals, if possible, ought to be 
the foundation of every nature cure.* 



♦People ought to go entirely barefooted as often as possible, es- 
pecially on the bare ground. But in rooms with painted floors it is 
better to wear sandals or straw slippers or similar footgear, since the 
painted floor affects the body injuriously if one walks on it with bare 
soles. 



— 94 — 

The people will then begin again to more and more regard 
bare feet, which nature has created, and which will soon regain 
blood and fine shapes, as more beautiful and more aesthetic than 
miserable, ragged, patched-up shoes ; and the practice of going 
barefooted, which even Christ, the Saviour, prescribed to Chris- 
tendom both by precept and example, will no longer be a matter 
for ridicule and scorn to them. To prefer to the bare feet of the 
masterpiece of creation some miserable footgear, which often 
presses and tortures men so as to contort their faces, is an insult 
to nature. 

If the importance of sleeping on the ground is but once fully 
recognized and has become the common practice, the spell in which 
a diseased body and an unbalanced mind now hold mankind will 
soon be broken. The natural bath, the light-and-air bath, and a 
natural diet can of course also do much to shake and weaken the 
spell. 

In acute as well as in chronic diseases this remedy will soon 
show its wonderful effect. 

Jesus also avoided the cities with their foul air, their luxury 
and effeminacy, their moral degradation; he took up his abode 
mostly in the desert and in the mountains. 

Here, moreover, he did most of his preaching, and if during 
the day He preached in the temple of Jerusalem, He tarried at 
night on the Mount of Olives,* where He certainly also made 
His bed on the bare ground. Only one flowing robe ; such as the 
members of the sect of Essenes wore, was probably His entire 
covering in the lap of nature. 

In order to sleep again on the earth it is best to select a nice 
grass plot ; if there is no grass plot at hand, a thin reed matting, 
such as gardeners use, may be placed on the ground. In that 
way, of course, the earth power will fall very short of its full 
effect. Any thicker covering of straw, wool, cloth, or the like, to 



* "And in the daytime he was teaching in the temple; and at 
night he went out and abode in the mount that is called the Mount 
of Olives."— Luke 21:37. 



— 95 — 

lie on must not be thought of, for the connection with the earth 
would in that case be markedly interfered with. No head rest is 
necessary, for it is of especial benefit for the head to lie on the 
cool, refreshing* earth. 

We must not be discouraged if the first nights spent on the 
earth should prove uncomfortable. 

I have made the experience that patients, after the first few 
nights, were actually attracted to their bed on the ground, and 
strongly refused to tolerate anything under them. In rainy nights 
I was often concerned about having the patients come into the 
huts to sleep, so that the quilts should not get so wet, but it was 
with difficulty that I could induce the sick people to leave the 
ground. Soon, also, the hardness of lying on the ground is no 
longer felt. Nor need we fear that the earth is too cold nights 
to lie on entirely naked under covers ; we shall only experience the 
sensation of a delightful coolness. Some perspire more easily lying 
on the ground than in a bed. Of course, beginners and those 
persons who have not yet regained sufficient animal heat through 
a natural mode of life, can only lie naked on the ground under 
covers in warm Summer nights, or in very mild or not too cold 
Spring and Autumn nights in our climate. 

During the first nights one generally sleeps worse on the 
ground than formerly in bed. After that, and sometimes even 
in cases of protracted and obstinate insomnia, a long, exceed- 
ingly refreshing and strengthening sleep will set in, which state 
of affairs will last for some time. But generally most persons 
will soon begin to sleep less and less, sometimes only from one 
to two hours, and the less they sleep nights lying on the ground, 
the brighter, fresher and stronger will they feel the next day. 
I myself have not slept a wink for weeks at a time on the 
ground, but during that period I never felt the least discomfort 
or trouble of any kind, as was formerly the case in sleepless 
nights during my long and severe nervous suffering while lying 
in a bed. On the contrary, those nights were particularly de- 
lightful and free from ennui, and during the day I was never so 



- 96 - 

entirely without any trace of weariness and languor, and I never 
felt more refreshed than at that time.* 

If we look about in free nature we nowhere find that death- 
like, leaden sleep which falls on men throughout every night 
and holds them for six or eight hours or longer. 1 1 The time 
which a man spends in such a condition is actually wiped out of 
his life. Animals move about almost all night. They indeed 
sometimes rest, especially during the day, so that it seems as 
if for a moment all their physical and mental activity had 
stopped, but they do not sleep the way men sleep, not even 
our domestic animals . for instance horses, after the hardest 
labor, sink into a deep sleep lasting for hours. But the animals, 
though they do not sleep, are always fresh and lively ; they never 
yawn and never show a sleepy, weary demeanor like man who 
sleeps so much. Therefore, iti order to be bright and not grow 
tired, we must strive to live again so closely to nature that we 
shall at first sleep less and finally perhaps no more at all. But 
I wish to observe that I distinguish between sleeping and resting 
There is also in nature an alternation of activity and rest. Com- 
plete rest of mind and body, to which man with his inner unrest 
and excitement hardly ever attains in these days, but which 
might be one of his sweetest joys and most beautiful pleasures, 
will again come to him the more he regains his health. 



*The more closely man will approach to nature again, the more 
will that morbid phenomenon called "ennui" disappear. By nature's 
design every moment ought to be filled with joy and happiness for 
man, more than for the animal, for he is gifted with reason and 
imagination. This noble gift enables the healthy man to live in a 
world of poetry. Where ennui makes its appearance in a man it is 
only the sign of native shallowness and barrenness, which also is 
a diseased condition. 

1 1 The Winter sleep into which some animals sink, cannot be com- 
pared with the sleep of man. The former is a peculiar arrangement 
with some animal species in whom the circulation is very sluggish 
during the Winter months, and whose digestion is almost completely 
at a standstill, so that the animals during this whole time require 
but little food or none at all. 



— 97 — 

But this is by no means a sinking into unconsciousness; it 
is not mental death. 

Animals hear and feel everything during their complete 
rest. 

With a strictly natural diet, and the use of the natural bath, 
people will soon experience a lessening need of sleep. 

Even in the warmest Summer nights one does not fall 
asleep lying naked and uncovered, even when not lying on the 
earth, just as one never falls asleep taking a sunbath naked, 
even when lying on a blanket. Therefore the more closely wc 
approach nature again, especially by lying on the bare earth 
with enough covering to be comfortable, the more shall we be 
strengthened and refreshed without relaxing into sleep. 

In order to produce sleep, the nerves and the entire organ- 
ism of man must be artificially relaxed. This is done by poisons, 
such as bromide, morphium, opium, etc. By this method, the 
relaxation is so powerful and violent that the injury to the 
health is plainly felt afterwards. The sleep caused by alcohol, 
unnatural food, heated rooms, warm clothing, warm beds, etc., 
which people consider exceedingly strengthening and beneficial, 
is likewise only a consequence of artificial relaxation and is 
also injurious to the organism, only the injury is not great enough 
to make itself plainly felt. 

But after all, people experience a certain feeling of con- 
fusion and consternation after their sleep; and it is just this 
uncomfortable, disagreeable sensation that they will get rid of 
when they he on the bare ground and sleep only a little or 
not at all. 

Of course those people are in a sad and serious plight who 
in consequence of the present mode of life, nervous excitement, 
warm beds, etc., never relax at all and never get any prolonged 
sleep, as is the case with many sufferers from nervous troubles. 

It would be a great mistake in people who use alcohol and 
other unnatural food, live unnatural lives, wear warm clothing, 
etc., and who do not sleep on the earth nights, not to wholly 
abandon themselves in warm beds to the feeling of weariness 



_ 9 8 - 

that will come over them. First to create weariness and then 
struggle against it would consume the body too rapidly. If, 
for instance, on taking opium or morphium, we should fight 
against the sleep that would set in, we should only very much 
increase the bad effect of these poisons on our health, and afier 
all our pains would prove futile. 

If I have here set down my ideas concerning sleep, it is 
not because I take pleasure in advancing claims which are directly 
opposed to the old views and prejudices on ihe subject, and 
which call out either the applause of the masses, or, in case 
they prove inconvenient and burdensome, their derision and in- 
dignation. I only wished, in case anyone should try the experi- 
ment (perhaps in beautiful Summer nights) of lying on the 
bare earth with the naked body, to guard again?t his being dis- 
couraged if his sleep should grow less, and against his aban- 
doning a cause which would prove of unprecedented advantage 
to his health and his well-being. Such a person would thereby 
forego a remedy which was not brewed in any swill kitchen, 
which did not originate in a sick brain, but which nature herself 
offers, and to which healthy creatures are directed by instinct, 
the only sure guide of life, the prime minister of health. 

No one who seriously desires to go barefooted need to-day 
be in any anxiety as to a place where he can do so. Fields and 
woods, meadows and paths offer ample opportunity for going 
barefooted, a sound view of the matter is spreading among the 
people who are becoming indifferent to the unusual sight, so 
that the devotee is less and less liable to annoyance and ridicule. 

But many a one may like to ask where he is to go at 
night with his blankets to lie on the earth without clothes. In 
sanitaria the opportunity is easily provided in parks sur- 
rounded bv high board fences (men and women separated), 
which contain also light-and-air cottages, so that a patient, ac- 
cording to his inclination, may at any time take a light-and-air 
bath or sleep in the open air on a rug (strawtick or quilt) 
or on the bare ground. 

Here, likewise, the opportunity must be afforded for the 



— 99 — 

natural bath in the open. Little bath cells should be constructed 
for the natural bath. 

However, I do not wish to persuade any one single-handed 
to completely and suddenly break away from all the old, deep- 
rooted view's, false and harmful as they often are, and thus to en- 
ter a state of open and violent opposition and warfare with those 
with whom he has erred and suffered, and with whom he is still 
united by many bonds of friendship and love. 

We ought at least to try and avoid such an open lupture as 
far as possible. We must never renounce the great cause; that 
would be dishonorable and cowardly. And we must also, above 
all things, bear in mind the importance of regaining health, 
upon which all happiness on earth depends. 

Neither must anyone get into conflict with the authorities 
who care for the public welfare in good faith. The laws of the 
State, which have been made by the representatives freely elected 
by the people themselves, must not be transgressed, even when 
they are recognized as wrong. 

But everybody should see to it that such laws (vaccination 
laws) shall do as little harm as possible, and agitate for their 
modification or abolition in the course of time. 

Many are the causes which prompt people to ridicule and 
place difficulties in the way of those who lead a strictly natural life. 
In the first place there is the instinctive consciousness of their 
own false mode of life with all its disastrous consequences, and 
the involuntary grudge they bear against the great advantages 
which others derive from a natural mode of life. There is, more- 
over, not sufficient strength oE mind, opportunity or encourage- 
ment for them to abjure all unnatural food and the like, to which 
man is enslaved as to every poison and vice, and above all thev 
are not sufficiently informed as to the right course they should 
pursue. 

But when once individuals shall recognize these great truths 
more and more clearly, and order their lives accordingly in a 
quiet, sensible way, so as to obtrude themselves as little as pos- 
sible uppn,xthe great masses and give no offence, the natural mode 



— IOO — 

of life will gain more and more vantage ground, and there will 
be fewer and fewer obstacles placed in its way — the trend of the 
time is already powerful in that direction. 

Then also many men, God's favorites, will find their oppor- 
tunity to rest in magic union with mother earth, and procure for 
themselves and their health and earthly happiness an inestim- 
able advantage, — just as the earth is at all times free to the glad 
enjoyment of life and as a resting-place to all creatures, frog 
and mouse, hedgehog and hare, deer and elk, fox and badger, 
who certainly range below man in God's love. 

When not so very long ago the rumor spread that in some 
places people were beginning to go barefooted even in the snow, 
for che improvement of their health and the curing of diseases, 
it was met only with ridicule and scorn. 

People shrank from the mere thought of exposing the 
tender feet, which had hitherto been treated with especially great 
care and had always been kept warm, to the cold air, the rough 
ground, and in Winter even to the snow. Had not grandmother 
often said: "Be sure always to keep your feet warm!" and had 
not physicians always warned against wet feet? Atterwards a 
few tried the thing, and convinced themselves that besides being 
of great advantage to health and the entire well-being of man, 
going barefooted was a pleasant exercise; and since then the 
opinion concerning this purely natural remedy for the restoration 
of health has undergone a great change. 

Lying on the ground will make its way in a similar manner 
For a time it will still appear hard and cruel, more so than going 
barefooted. But upon the trials that will be made with it, people 
will become convinced of its entire harmlessness and its ex- 
ceedingly great curative qualities still more readily than was 
the case in the matter of going barefooted. 

The sun has the greatest curative effect upon the sick body. 
This effect is very considerably increased if instead of walking 
the patient lies quietly in the sunshine The earth power, like- 
wise, can affect the body more directly when lying in complete 
rest than in walking. The earth power stimulates the body 



— 101 — 

toward a curative activity in the same way as the sun ; but if 
the body must spend its energy in walking and other like exer- 
tions it cannot manifest its full curative activity, in spite of the 
influences of sun and earth power. 

However, out of regard for the prevailing opinions which 
no one can at once overcome, we ought to exercise the greatest 
caution, especially in sanitaria before advising others to lie or 
sleep upon the bare ground. This must be left entirely to the 
option of the patient. The success of here and there an individ- 
ual will suffice to cause others to follow his example. It may 
be weli in the beginning to sleep one night on the ground, the 
next night in bed. 

When I first attempted to introduce lying on the bare earth 
at the' Jungborn, I also encountered many prejudices. There 
was no great desire to try the experiment. Then several of the 
patients made an energetic effort; they soon became greatlv 
pleased with it, and in their enthusiasm induced most of he 
others likewise to sleep on the bare earth. The success achieved 
by all of them was of course surprising. 

Water applications have been long in vogue since Priess- 
nitz, Kneipp, Kuhne, and others. To combine rubbing w T ith the 
bath has also already been taught. But thes methods are not 
yet fully in accord with the precepts of nature. 

Going naked was preached long ago by Rikli. But it was 
by no means practised by him with a complete understanding 
of the laws of nature concerning light and air. Therefore 
Rikli could not make a general practice of going naked for 
both the sick and the well. 

But the earth power and its application has been overlooked 
entirely. When in the first edition of my book I for the first 
time called attention tc the earth-power, many were surprised. 
But soon this subject of the earth-power elicited the greatest 
interest and attracted everywhere the most lively attention. 

And ihere is indeed nothing of greater interest and greater 
importance than the earth with its manifold and powerful cura- 



162 

tive effect. I wish, therefore, to treat of it more in detail in this 
edition. 

Our globe is a body in which a powerful life has been stirring 
from the very beginning which no amount of human unreason 
could disturb. Of this powerfully pulsating life the earth is 
most willing to give a share to man, as soon as he will but enter 
into direct communication with it again. 

We can frequently make use of this earth power. And men 
draw upon it the more, the more they lead a natural life. When- 
ever opportunity offers one ought to sit on the ground, even 
with clothes on. In taking walks and making tours, we ought 
frequently to rest by sitting or lying on the bare earth. Natur- 
ally the earth power influences men even through their clothes. 
Every one may experience this who will stretch himself quietly 
upon the bare earth for a time. 

I have often observed that persons in an excited frame of 
mind, in melancholy and despairing moments, in hysteric fits and 
convulsions, and other morbid conditions, were most speed'ly 
quieted, relieved, and cured by sitting or lying on the ground. 

We need not fear the coldness and dampness of the earth. 
The curative effect is even most potent under these conditions, 
which is proved by the fact that colds are often caused thus, a 
most favorable and not at all dangerous symptom, as I have 
repeatedly showm. 

A peculiar Hie exists in nature during the night. If we go 
into a forest at night we get a feeling as if the whole spirit 
world were abroad. Grass is said to grow at night, not in the 
day-time. It is probably for this reason that the earth power 
is of especially powerful effect at night. 

I have made various attempts at the Jungborn to make sleep- 
ing on the bare earth during the night more and more agreeable. 
Finally it occurred to me to construct sand beds, upon which it is 
much more comfortable to lie than on the ordinary ground. 
They are somewhat softer than the earth. 

A layer of sand from four to eight inches will serve as a 
sand-bed. This may be covered with a coarse, porous piece of 



— 103 — 

burlap or linen without essentially weakening the effect of the 
earth power, while the quilts used for covering are at the same 
time kept clean thereby. There may be still other advantages. 
The layer of sand may be surrounded by a border of sod, at 
least it is Aery desirable to have a somewhat elevated soft strip 
at the head as a head-rest. 

It is of the greatest advantage, of course, to have the sand- 
bed in the open air, for man is also influenced by a wonderful, 
mysterious curative power from above that seems to be especially 
active at night, invigorating and strengthening his entire organ- 
ism while he is resting under the starry sky, under the great 
dome of heaven.* This power, in conjunction with the earth 
power, produces the most wonderful curative effects. 

In unfavorable weather ,to be sure, the bed must be prepared 
under a roofed space (perhaps a tent), which ought to be as 
roomy as possible. 

Moreover, a large, longish receptacle, a box or the like, may 
be placed in any room, and filled with earth and sand for sleep- 
ing purposes. 

THE FEAR OF COLDS. 

When I was speaking of sleeping in open light-and-air huts 
and cottages and upon the bare ground even in cold weather, and 
especially in days of sickness., many a one may have seen in his 
mind's eye a whole army of colds, rheumatism, gout, typhoid 
fever, influenza, pneumonia, etc., accompanied by terrible pains 
and tortures, to be succeeded even by the certain dreadful end, 
death ; and many others, among them adherents of the current 
natuie-cuie method, may have felt their hair stand on end in 
fear and trembling. 

I have already tried to dispel the fear of colds. I shall try 
once more to deal it a death-biow, although I well know that 



♦Plants covered with a large, wide-meshed wire screen have been 
observed not to thrive as well as plants that grew entirely under the 
free sky. 



— 104 — 

while it stalks abroad like an uncanny ghost among mankind, 
its full danger and malignity have as yet nowhere been recog- 
nized. 

Here I shall be obliged, of course, to repeat some things 
that I have already spoken of. 

The digestive organs of the body are by their functional 
activity adapted Only to the food which nature has intended for 
man, that is, the food which the earth yields freely without the 
aid of horticulture or agriculture, and which man can relish in 
its natural, unchanged state (nuts, berries, fruit, and several 
other things). Now if man eats this natural food in a changed 
form (changed by cooking, etc.), or partakes of other things 
which nature has not intended for him and which merely re- 
semble the natural food in a greater or lesser degree, the diges- 
tive organs will digest them only with difficulty, partially, or not 
at all. The body cannot fully utilize these unnatural foods, if 
it can utilize them at all (in building up the blood, muscles, 
bones, etc.). With unnatural nutrition, therefore, the body does 
not receive the material which it requires for its growth, for its 
normal physical and mental development, strength, and vitality. 
Food remnants will moreover lodge in the stomach, and pene 
trate from the abdomen in solid, liquid, and gaseous form into 
all its parts, to the very extremities, and change the whole shape 
of the body. This matter does not belong to the body; it is 
foreign matter, which may get into the organism in still other 
ways, by breathing and through the skin ; for instance by vaccine 
and other poisons. 

The foreign matter now lodges between the organs. Ac- 
cording to its kind it will injure and destroy the organs, some 
sooner, some later. It also passes into a state of fermentation, 
producing heat which has a particularly injurious and destruc- 
tive effect upon the entire body. In this manner it causes distress 
and pain, now here, now there, and disturbs all the organs of 
the body generally in their normal functions, iucluding those 
which mediate between body and soul, and likewise brings about 
untimely death. The formation and deposition of foreign mat- 






— 105 — 

ter, the cause of disease, goes on the more readily in these davs 
since by wearing heavy shoes and clothing, b)< avoiding coM 
water and separating ourselves from the earth, by shutting our- 
selves off from light and air, by breathing foul air, and by other 
crimes against nature the vitality and digestive power of the 
body are increasingly interfered with and paralyzed. 




Summit of Keckout Mountain, 1,400 feet high, near the "Jungborn," 

in Butler, N. J. 

But as soon as men shall cast aside their thick shoes and 
wear lighter garments, so that water, light and air, and 
especially the sharp, cold wind may reach the body more easily, 
nature will at once seize the opportunity to stimulate the vitalitv 
to a wholesome activity and bring on a curative crisis for the 
purpose 01 loosening the foreign matter and expelling it by 
force. 



— io6 — 

This manifests itself naturally most promptly and violently 
among the weak, effeminate and spoiled. But these are also most 
in need of this sort of help from nature, for in consequence of 
their great dread of cold water, light and air and moist earth, 
and their many protective measures against the beneficent rem- 
edies of nature, their vitality has become very sluggish, and has 
favored in a special degree the accumulation of foreign matter 
within them. 

Colds and catarrhs now set in, also such acute diseases as 
measles, scarlet fever, pox (children's diseases), diphtheria, ty- 
phoid fever, pneumonia, influenza, etc., according how the organs 
(lungs, nerves, etc.) are most active in ridding themselves of the 
foreign matter.,.. Acute diseases (typhoid, cholera, etc.) are of 
course also brought on by other causes than dampness, air, and 
cold, for instance by a sudden change of temperature, by great 
mental excitement, etc. Sometimes the body starts them of its 
own accord, with no recognizable external cause to account for 
them. 

These acute diseases are always accompanied by acute fever. 
The first symptom often is a chill ; the violent commotion of the 
foreign matter, the friction of the particles against each other 
cause the inner heat to increase ; the blood is therefore withdrawn 
into the interior of the body, the external skin becomes cold, and 
the patient feels cold. Sut soon the heat extends to the external 
skin, the patient becomes hot, for the body begins powerfully to 
force the foreign matter, now in motion, outward, in order to 
expel it through the skin. In diphtheria the throat is the chief 
sufferer. The foreign matter, whose volume is moreover in- 
creased by the rising heat, is stopped on its way from the abdo- 
men to the head, and danger from suffocation is imminent. 

Now if we work against nature by shutting the patient off 
from light and fresh air, and by giving him poisonous medicines, 
antifebrin, etc., whereby the vitality of the body is again weak- 
ened, poor, foolish man must of course always succumb in his 
struggle with powerful nature. The patient will now have to 
endure horrible pains and tortures, and it may easily happen 



— 107 — 

that he will die in the struggle against nature; or he may be 
apparently cured, that is, the body will suspend its curative 
activity, and the symptoms of the disease will disappear, but 
only in order to enable the body after some time to again seek 
to free itself of the foreign matter in a still mere difficult manner, 
in a still severer crisis. Influenza, for instance, may be appar- 
ently cured by antifebrin, but soon inflammation of the lungs will 
set in. The vitality of the body may also be permanently at 
such a low ebb that the latter can no longer forcibly throw off 
the foreign matter through acute diseases. 

Chronic disease appears as soon as there is foreign matter 
present in the body that has begun to ferment, which produces 
heat, injuring the body.* The chronic disease now becomes 
increasingly dangerous; in the course of time serious troubles 
may set in, such as nervous affections, consumption (in conse- 
quence of influenza and inflammation of the lungs), cancer, gout, 
diabetes, open sores, etc., which drag the patient through long 
years of invalidism slowly to his grave, unless indeed the vitality 
of the body is once more strengthened by nature's remedies, 
which can now be done only slowly and gradually. 

As we have seen, medical science can with the aid of its 
poisonous remedies cause acute diseases to disappear, but of 
course only to the greater injury of the body. However, it is 
entirely powerless in regard to chronic diseases. 



♦The internal heat in chronic diseases, which leaves the patient 
outwardly chilly and cold, constitutes the chronic fever. But as the 
patient's condition progresses, this fever extends to the exterior of 
the body, so that the patient in an advanced stage of chronic disease 
has a very high temperature. When the patient has reached this 
stage, the body seems to have become completely powerless. It ap- 
pears that here the fever did not arise to expel the foreign matter, 
as in the case of acute diseases, but as if in consequence of the 
sinking and cessation of all the vital impulses of the body, which 
had confined it to the interior organs (except in times of that violent 
revolution, the acute diseases), it had now spread over the entire 
body. To reduce and temper this chronic fever in these last stages, 
it is clear that only the remedies of nature, light, air, water, earth, 
and a natural diet, can be successfully applied. 



io8 



Here, too, by means of operations and poisons, such as 
arsenic, creosot, etc., changes ma) 1 be produced in the condition 
of the patient, isolated symptoms of the disease may be made 
to disappear, and manifestations of the disease In individual 
organs may be suppressed. But hardly any one will be deceived 
thereby, for a little thoughtful observation will easily reveal the 
fact that in reality the general diseased condition of the patient 
progresses all the more rapidly under such treatment, till every- 
thing that man, strayed from the path of nature, can accomplish 
in the struggle with her, is hidden in the grave and rests for- 
gotten in night and darkness.* 

The vital energy of the body may be paralyzed from the 
very start by vaccine poison, so that certain acute diseases, chil- 
dren's pox, etc., children's diseases, through which the young 
organism, still filled with vital energy, so readily rids itself of 
foreign matter, can no longer be contracted. But in their stead 
other, more serious diseases will appear, diphtheria, inflamma- 
tion of the lungs, etc., and the whole grewsome array of chronic 
diseases, such as severe nervous affections, consumption, cancer, 
etc., become increasingly prevalent, as is most convincingly at- 
tested by the present age. Countless people are tottering to 
their graves on sticks and crutches as consumptives, nervous suf- 
ferers, scrofulitics, deaf, blind, deformed, and mishapen. Many 
of them are the pitiable victims of vaccination, the great health 
preserver legally prescribed by medicine and the State. But 



*An open suppurating wound, for instance, may be healed with 
salve. But we thereby only close the outlet of a canal through which 
diseased matter (foreign matter) is carried away._ The foreign matter 
is now stowed away in the interior of the body where it can do great 
damage, even cause death, before it has succeeded in finding another 
outlet. But if the formation of more foreign matter is prevented 
by a natural diet, and the vital energy of the body is strengthened by 
light and air, water and earth power, so that the digestion is im- 
proved and the foreign matter is disposed of in the natural way 
through the urine, feces, and perspiration, the wound will soon 
cease to suppurate and will heal in consequence of the increased 
curative powers of the body. No disadvantage will follow this sort 
of healing, and no harm need be feared for the health. 



— 109 — 

who recognizes the fact, and how long will it be before here, too, 
light will penetrate the darkest night? 

Thus we see that the greatest disadvantages and dangers, 
misery and ruin come to man through the treatment prescribed 
by medical science of colds and acute diseases. Here, too, 
medical science disregards the voice of nature and misconceives 
her good intentions. 

The more, however, we meet nature half way and assist her 
in her efforts to gain her ends in acute diseases, — the more we 
avoid the things which constitute the real cause of the disease, 
unnatural food, the foul air of cities and rooms, — and the more 
we introduce the body to light, air, water, cold, and earth-power, 
the more thoroughly and speedily will the dangerous internal 
heat be allayed. Then also the discharges (from lungs and 
nose) will be all the more prompt and copious, the kidneys and 
bowels will do their work, and when warmth is restored sweat 
will set in, rash will appear on the skin (measles, scarlet fever, 
and small-pox), and other excretions of foreign matter will 
take place. The patient will suffer but little pain and distress 
(in consequence of the lowering of the internal heat) and will 
soon experience considerable relief and comfort, — he will rise 
from his acute disease rejuvenated and invigorated like the 
phoenix from his ashes. 

The failure of medical science in the treatment of acute- 
diseases, and the disaster that follows in its wake in the manner 
indicated by me, are recognizable by all who are not dazzled by 
the glamour that surrounds science and who watch its ministra- 
tions at the sick bed with an impartial eye. In the same way 
any one may plainly observe, in nature cure institutions o'r per- 
haps in his own case, the favorable issue attending acute dis- 
eases under natural treatment and the benefits that accrue from 
them for the body. He may then also convince himself of the 
correctness of the observation that acute diseases are not at all 
dangerous, and are altogether favorable curative crises by means 
of which the body frees itself of foreign matter. 

Yes, the acute diseases, typhoid fever, diphtheria, cholera. 



— no — 

and what not, zvhich are mostly brought on by taking cold, and 
which are to-day still terribly dreaded by mankind, are wholly 
without danger, and prove under correct treatment of the great- 
est benefit. They are a blessing to man, and ought to be hailed 
with joy on their appearance. 

Through all my most careful observations of nature in the 
case of numerous patients and myself, I have been more and 
more firmly convinced that nature has only the very best of in- 
tentions when she visits us with colds and acute diseases; and I 
will give practical proof of this to any one who will observe 
my methods or trust himself to it. 

I do not in the least doubt, however, that most people will 
regard me as a fanatic on account of the claims that I have 
made, and the convictions I have expressed with regard to 
colds and acute diseases; and that from the cothurnus of their 
mistaken way they will look down upon me with a pitying 
scientific smile. 

But the acute diseases are only a sort of makeshift of nature. 
They are not altogether necessary and may be entirely avoided 
by returning to nature. When a cold or some acute disease has 
made its appearance and the patient submits early enough to the 
natural treatment, that is, if he takes the natural bath, and 
frequently and for a long time, according to the temperature, 
remains without clothes (entirely naked) in a room in which all 
the windows and doors are open, or better still in the open air. 
and brings himself into contact with the earth in walking, rest- 
ing, or sleeping as often as possible, even the most dreaded 
acute diseases, such as small-pox, diphtheria, typhoid fever, 
cholera, etc., will entail almost no suffering, and those about the 
patient will scarcely find any cause for anxiety during the 
various phases of the disease. But if so-called healthy per- 
sons, or chronic patients, before acute disease sets in, will re- 
turn to nature as far as possible with respect to water, light, air, 
and earth in the manner already described, and with respect to 
diet as I am going to explain, phenomena like colds and acute 
diseases will not appear at all. 



— Ill — 

Not in a single case, neither in my former practice, nor at 
the Jungbom among the numerous patients zvho took a course of 
treatment there zvith perfect confidence in my prescriptions, did 
a cold or an acute disease set in. A curative crisis of this sort, 
after all, still has some disagreeable features and interferes with 
our enjoyment of life, but among the many young and old peo- 
ple who without any transitional expedients or caution what- 
ever at once started in going barefooted, taking the new bath in 
the open, sleeping in an open light-and-air hut or entirely in the 
open air and on the bare ground, and zvalking about naked, not 
one such crisis appeared, although the natural mode of life was 
adhered to in good and bad weather, in rain and sunshine, and 
sometimes partly even in the coldest winter. 

Such complete return to nature stimulates the vital energy 
of the body enormously, and the latter at once begins to work 
with all its might to eject the foreign matter it harbors. In 
consequence of this a severe griping is often felt throughout 
the body, and sometimes more or less sharp pains (boils may also 
appear), but at the same time, and more than usual, the internal 
heat which is being developed, and which is the principal cause 
of acute disease, with its suffering, its excitement, its exhaus- 
tion, etc., is always immediately lowered and carried off, and 
thus acute fevers and in general colds and acute diseases are 
avoided. Even in ordinary life, the more man again boldly ex- 
poses himself to cold water, cold air, wind, and weather, without 
thick clothes and heavy shoes, and the more strongly he refuses 
to waver in his faith in the good intentions of nature, even if he 
occasionally takes a cold, the more harmless and lighter will 
such crises become and the more easily may they be wholly 
avoided by being continually drained away. 

It is a well-known fact that those who have overcome 
their fear of colds, or who are too poor to buy many clothes and 
shoes, etc., very rarely or never are visited by acute diseases. 

But may I now hope by these explanations to have dis- 
pelled the fear of colds in anyone ? No ! I am not presumptuous 



— 112 — 

enough to think that I could in the least shake the fear of colds 
in its dreadful stronghold. You may adduce every proof, show 
men how others expose themselves fearlessly and with impunity 
to wind and weather, to wet and cold, and they will only ad- 
vance every possible objection • he is still young, this one has 
a particularly strong constitution, that one has become hard- 
ened, therefore he can stand it. Such are some of the many 
palisades with which the fear of colds strongly fortifies itself. 

We are so ready to have confidence in a physician, and ex- 
pect to regain our health through him even if he himself is 
afflicted with disease and suffering. We so readily and blindly 
trust in every remedy that comes from the apothecary's shop, 
even if it is a poison, and consequently always detrimental and 
ruinous to health, and through some oversight of the apothecary 
may even cause instant death. People put their trust in these 
dangerous remedies, if they are only written in Latin on a 
prescription blank, so that they cannot understand them. 

But everybody fears nature, and withholds from her his 
confidence, — nature, all of whose remedies, water as well as 
light and hair, heat and cold, form a part of the harmony of 
the world, for the welfare and happiness only of all living crea- 
tures, — nature, in whose bosom everything was sound and 
happy as long as man did not interfere with her, and who 
speaks plainly and distinctly to all. Medical science in good 
faith eagerly fosters this distrust. 

However, the whole universe sprang from the fountain- 
head of eternal love; from this source only good, nothing harm- 
ful and nothing bad could come. In nature, therefore, there is 
not the tiniest atom of a drop of water, not the gentlest motion 
of the mildest zephyr, not the smallest degree of cold that was 
not created for the welfare and happiness of animated beings. 

When man had fallen away from nature, it was a part of 
his character to look for the cause of his afflictions not in him- 
self, but outside of him, in nature. Nature was therefore re- 
garded as something full of dangers, something cruel. Out 
of this arose the distrust of nature, from which in turn came 



— H3 — 

the misunderstanding of nature and her processes, in conse- 
quence of which man often employs the means that nature 
offers in a harmful and dangerous manner and brings much 
affliction and pain upon himself. But in one respect a breach 
has already been made into this fatal misunderstanding of na- 
ture. 

Even as late as the last century cold water, as it is found in 
nature and as it is used by the animals that follow their instinct, 
was entirely rejected and condemned in the treatment of the 
sick. The physicians even cleansed and washed wounds with 
warm water, until the patient died half decomposed and in a 
nauseous condition. 

Not a long time ago physicians forbade every patient, even 
when in a high state of fever, to drink cold water, even when 
in his excessive thirst he was suffering the most cruel torments 
and was actually burning up with internal heat. No one was 
allowed to drink cold water while in a heated condition, any- 
way. Soldiers were forbidden on severe penalty to drink water 
while marching, even if they sank down exhausted with the 
tortures of thirst. It was considered very dangerous, indeed, 
to take a bath in cold water while the body was in a warm and 
heated condition. 

To-day, however, if somebody is wounded, recourse is first 
had to cold water, cold water is willingly handed to the fever 
patient to alleviate his suffering, soldiers on the march must to- 
day everywhere be supplied with cold water for their refresh- 
ment, except, indeed, where the bacilli craze, which is rampant in 
modern times, has frightened people here and there. 

It has been observed that the bath is the more effective the 
warmer the body is when it touches the cold water, indeed, peo- 
ple even go from the steam bath dripping with perspiration into 
the cold water. 

Mankind seems to desire a return to nature, there are unmis- 
takable signs of this, but strange to say, it is cold water to which 
people first turn again. Everywhere cold-water cures have been 
established which are very much frequented by sick people. 



— ii4 — 

Nature is indeed wonderfully kind ; if but one step is taken 
in her direction, she hastens towards us with open arms and 
extends the hand that is always ready for beneficent deeds. It 
is an established fact that cold water alone, although it is only 
partially applied in the form intended by nature, has already 
achieved most excellent curative success. And if these happy 
results from cold water are compared with the successes, or 
rather failures, of medical science, they must really astonish 
mankind. Cold water, however, can always be applied only for 
a few moments at a time and to a very limited extent. 

But pure, fresh air, on the other hand, is the very life ele- 
ment of man. Exactly in the measure that man is supplied with 
pure air through skin and lungs his well-being, his entire physi- 
cal, intellectual, and spiritual life rises and falls. 

If we deprive man of air entirely, even for a moment only, 
his life immediately goes out. And, if we were to cover a man 
with an air-tight substance, only for several hours, so that he can 
take in air through nose and mouth, but not through the skin, he 
likewise dies. 

In pure air, otherwise than in water, the patient can remain 
and move about permanently, and even for a long time without 
clothes. The further development of diseased matter is at 
once arrested by a natural diet, from which the entire substance 
of the body and the nerves is built up. When air, and cold, and 
earth-power, and a truly natural diet, which the present vege- 
tarian diet by no means really is, once begin to be employed for 
the maintenance of health, and the healing of diseases, then all 
the brilliant successes which cold water has already achieved will 
fade away. But this must all be done according to my method, 
as I have already described it and shall further describe it. 

Water employed in a wrong way, or for too long a time 
can do harm, but air will in no case do harm, and always does 
much good. But nevertheless air is always looked upon with 
especial distrust. We no longer hesitate when very heated, and 
even dripping with perspiration, to take a cold bath, and fever 
patients are also put into cold water. But what tourist would 



— H5 — 

venture to-day, when very heated from rapid walking so that 
he is perspiring violently, to expose himself in an open place, 
or on a rocky projection, half undressed (with bare breast, bare 
feet and bare head) or entirely naked, to an icy cold draught 
for a time? Or in the case of a child sick with diphtheria, or 
measles, or an adult in a high state of fever from typhoid or 
pneumonia, tossing to and fro under thick feather beds, and 
protesting frantically against the cruel burden, who would to- 
day, in any such case ; venture to take the patient in cold weather 
(even in Winter) entirely without clothes into a cold room, in 
whicli all the windows and doors are open, or even naked into the 
open air? 

Who would to-day take such a patient out of the house, 
and out of the city, with its fumes and evil odors, and its poisoned 
air, and lodge him, even when it is cold, in an open hut in a 
garden or in the woods, and even in but moderate temperature 
let him rest or sleep in the open air, entirely naked, on cool, even 
damp ground? 

At the very thought of this even our nature-curists and the 
adherents of the present methods of natural healing would quake 
and tremble with fear; and those who would openly advise such 
a thing, would simply be declared insane by the rest of the 
people. 

Yes, if the law were to-day what it was centuries ago. we 
should lock up these rash people in insane asylums and prisons, 
as was done with Galileo for declaring that the earth revolved 
around the sun, and not the sun around the earth, and as then 
so to-day scientific bodies would sit in judgment over them. 

But for all that, fresh cold air would prove particularly 
beneficial to the warm heated body, as much so as cold water, 
and would refresh and invigorate it. The cool night follows upon 
the warm day, the cold Winter upon the hot Summer; nature 
provides the change between warm and cold for great purposes. 
In the open air, in the garden, or best of all in the woods, where 
the patient breathes only pure fresh air, where the cold air 
which plays about the naked body, and the earth take all suffer- 



— n6 — 

ing from the fever-stricken and rob diseases of all danger, the 
acute patient would quickly recover, and the chronic patient 
would be gradually led, by the hand of nature, along a beautiful 
flowery path to new and unexpected health and happiness. 

If we only mention employing water, light and air, and 
earth-power, in the manner I employ it in the healing of dis- 
eases, people will cry out horrified, "horse-cure." By this appel- 
lation they mean to signify a cruel, hard, dangerous form of 
treatment, which a few can live through, in spite of great dan- 
gers, and probably by accident, and get well as if by a miracle, 
but which would kill most people. 

In point of fact, however, it is the very acme of all careless- 
ness, all cruelty, all danger, all hardness, and all unreason, if 
a weak patient is deprived of water, light and air, and treated, 
moreover, with medicines, especially with poisons. 

On the other hand we cannot treat a patient more gently, 
with less danger and with greater hope for his recovery, than 
by putting him into the charge of nature. 

In her care his sufferings will soon be alleviated, he will feel 
relieved, and experience new vigor and happiness.* If diseases 



*Cases are often cited where men were frozen to death in the 
open, in order to prove that nature is harmful and dangerous. But 
what kind of men are most likely to freeze? Those that have par- 
taken free]y of alcohol. There is a prevailing belief that meat 
eating and alcohol drinking are necessary in our part of the world, 
to endure the climate, but those who eat the most meat and drink 
the most alcohol are just the ones who possess the least animal 
heat, and who suffer most in a cold climate, and are eventually most 
likely to be exposed to the danger of freezing to death. The most 
tender animals, little birds, the dainty hare, are out of doors in the 
severest cold, and when we touch them we find they are thoroughly 
warm. They never even look as if they were cold. If it does happen, 
in very rare cases, that an animal freezes to death, during an unusu- 
ally cold snap, it is generally an old animal, whose time of life has 
expired and whose dissolution takes place in the cold Winter time. 
Moreover man has interfered so powerfully with nature that even 
animals are suffering from his interference, so that if it should really 
happen that a young animal is found frozen to death, this might be 



— ii7 — 

were treated in the way indicated, by means of water, light, air, 
cold, and earth-power, surely incalculably fewer children woule 1 
be torn from the hearts of despairing- mothers and from the 
arms of disconsolate fathers, to be laid away so young in the 
cool earth ; and there would be fewer orphans and widows, living 
forlorn in sorrow and want; and fewer men who have lost all 
that was most precious to them, and who must live on without 
love or joy. 

My mind is unable to grasp how much less sorrow and 
want, how much less misery and despair there would be in the 
world, if we should once more trust ourselves wholly to the air, 
to the earth, and to a natural mode of nutrition (by which is 

NOT MEANT THE CURRENT VEGETARIANISM).* 

But to-day the fond mother still dresses her children in 
heavy clothes and cloaks, and wraps thick bandages about their 
limbs, and especially the head and throat; she runs after her 
husband to fetch him an extra wrap. If a crisp wind and 
bracing air reign outside, inviting human beings to be refreshed 
and strengthened by them, the mother takes care that her own 
dear ones remain inside in the warm stuffy room. The fear of 
colds will not give her a moment's peace. From sheer anxiety 



a sufficient explanation. Man is the most highly developed creature; 
he originally surpassed all animals in strength and the power of 
resistance, otherwise he could not so long have endured his unnatural 
mode of life. His present delicate and weak constitution is only the 
result of his sins against nature. As soon as man shall return to 
nature only in a measure with regard to his mode of life, he will at 
once perceive that everything in nature, even the severest cold, exists 
only for his good. 

*Of course, light, air and earth-power, as well as the natural bath, 
or light and air without earth-power, may be employed in the manner 
set forth, unaccompanied by the natural mode of nutrition, and yet 
very important results be achieved in the way of health and happi- 
ness. But the gain may obviously be greatly increased if the natural 
mode of nutrition that I shall describe in the second part of this 
book is added. 



— n8 — 

for the health and welfare of her loved ones, she works inces- 
santly in her untiring love to dig their early grave. 

In consequence of false nutrition an ever greater quantity of 
disease matter accumulates in the body, and nature is not given 
an opportunity to augment the vital energy of the body by 
means of air and earth-power so that it can free itself of this 
burden. Should she, after all, succeed for once, the physician is 
at hand with his poisons to beat down every vital effort of the 
body. Then after a coffin is borne from the house, it contains 
so much love and hope, death has claimed his own. In reality 
this is only a natural phenomenon which in itself is nothing bad 
or unpleasant, but still the people sob disconsolately after the 
coffin. The bells toll with such a dull sound, one feels oppressed 
and afraid, as if a crime had been committed. Human ignorance 
has once more cruelly murdered a human being. But at the 
open grave the voice of the Church is heard : "What God does is 
well done."* 

However, we have already again taken to cold water, and 
the day will surely come when we shall also give our confidence 
to air, earth, and a truly natural diet; these deserve it still more 
than water. The day is already dawning in the distance. 

Then men will drink in new health, serene enjoyment of 
life, and the freshness of youth to a ripe old age at the fountain- 
head of all life and happiness. Then they will no longer walk 
in pain and sickness, in sorrow and melancholy, in want and 
despair. Then death will no more come among men unexpect- 
edly, like lightning from a clear sky, to tear asunder the ten- 
derest bonds of love, and to destroy so much happiness upon 
earth. 



*It is one of the greatest and saddest errors into which men fall 
when assuming that God sends disease and premature death out of 
love This is making a caricature of God's love and wisdom. All the 
diseases and all the misery in the world are nothing but the necessary 
consequence and punishment for our offences against the laws of 
nature in our mode of life. 



— ii 9 — 
EARTH BANDAGES AND EARTH COMPRESSES. 

In the Bible we read, Gen. 2 \j : "And the Lord God formed 
man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils 
the breath of life; and man became a living soul." 

Man then is made of earth. 

For wounds and all skin diseases, therefore, moist earth is 
the only truly natural bandage. The body is thus repaired, so 
to speak, with the element from which it is created. 

Savage nations (in India, etc.) always use moist earth for 
wounds and skin troubles, as 1 have been repeatedly informed 
by travelers, and thus achieve wonderfully rapid cures. 

Animals, too, employ earth for wounds. If an elephant, for 
instance, has been cudgeled, and has received skin wounds from 
it, he at once moistens the earth with his saliva, stirs it into a 
soft mass, and covers his wounds with it. 

The bandage with moist earth or clay has frequently been 
used for animals, for instance, for horses in diseases of the legs. 

The bandages with moist earth which we are led to adopt 
when we once more attend to all the arrangements and voices 
of nature, is one of our greatest achievements. All wounds, all 
dangerous inflammation of wounds, all wound-fevers, and all 
skin diseases have through it lost all their dangers and horrors. 
All the many amputations and operations could be prevented, 
and endless evil could be avoided. The curing of all wounds and 
all skin troubles is accomplished through moist earth in the 
shortest possible time without any pain and any distress what- 
ever. This truly natural bandage is so very excellent that it is 
mere play to cure wounds and skin troubles with it. In times of 
war, especially, this earth bandage must acquire the very greatest 
significance. 

For every injury of the skin, wounds of cutting, stabbing, 
burning, shooting, etc., for every boil or ulcer, every inflamma- 
tion, stings and bites of animals, blood-poisoning, for all skin 
diseases, cancer, lupus, tetter, dandruff, eruptions, leprosy, for 




o 

SI 
Ol 

C 
3 



121 



broken bones, etc., the affected locality ought to be bandaged 
with moist earth or moist clay. 

The earth is moistened with water, but saliva may also be 
used. 

One will soon feel the coolness and the great comfort of such 
a bandage, and will be amazed by the striking curative effect 
of it. 

Yes, the earth, indeed ! How many are there who recog- 
nize its wondrous curative power? 

The earth bandage is made by taking the earth (or clay) 
as moist as possible, and placing it directly on the wound (if 
possible into it"). A linen bandage is then tied around it to keep 
the earth in place. The wound must not first be covered with 
a linen rag to prevent the earth from directly touching the 
wound. 

Of course, people to-day will think an earth bandage much 
too simple. Their restless, unstable mind tries to concoct salves, 
by means of great scientific researches, and with the aid of 
complicated apparatus, although a simple bandage with earth 
will heal the wounds exceedingly well, and without any danger 
whatever, while salves are often most dangerous. 

Many fear that blood-poisoning may set in from a bandage 
with moist earth, because the earth might be contaminated. No 
one will be likely to take the earth from a place where refuse 
and other impurities have been deposited. 

But no one seems to think to-day of the impuritki which 
are introduced into the body through unnatural food, through 
meat and alcohol, which cause so many diseases, and on account 
of wdiich wounds often become so dangerous. One never fears 
the poison within, but thinks always of those that may penetrate 
the bodv from without, without the knowledge of man, although 
no danger whatever threatens from the latter source (not even 
in a bandage with moist earth). 

When the earth bandage is taken off a fluid of an offensive 
odor generally flows away. The earth has drawn this impure 
matter from the vicinity of the wound ; it has, therefore, kept 



122 

the wound itself, and the surrounding parts, free from impurities 
and decayed matter, etc., and this explains how it is that a band- 
age with moist earth heals so remarkably fast and well. 

How can one fear that wounds will receive dangerous im- 
purities from the earth? If some impure matter should find its 
way into the wound through the earth the latter would at once 
draw it out again and destroy it. 

Some object, too, that the earth might contain manure. 
But it is a well-known fact that country people, for instance, 
will place cow dung directly on the wound, and so heal it with- 
out blood-poisoning setting in. Therefore the dung in the earth 
of the earth bandage need not frighten us. 

The fear of bacilli, however, which, according to modern re- 
searches have been found in the earth, is so great to-day, and 
every calm reflection is so entirely wanting in the matter, that one 
can hardly venture to advise anyone to try the moist earth 
bandage. One might actually get into conflict with the police 
in doing so. But we need not be intimidated by such old and 
deep-rooted views and prejudices. 

It goes without saying that I have always observed only 
the most conspicuously favorable results with all the many moist 
earth bandages that I have applied. Never was there any dam- 
age done to health, or a single case of blood-poisoning. 

We have seen that instinct leads savages and animals to 
cure their wounds with earth. But instinct never misleads; we 
can always follow it without misgivings. It can never harm us. 

A natural mode of living (abstention from alcohol, tobacco, 
meat, etc.), is, of course, strongly to be recommended, or rather 
necessary, especially in the case of large wounds, as I have al- 
ieady demonstrated. 

I have now still a few words to say about earth com- 
presses, which are used in a variety of ways. 

The earth has, as I have already said, the power of dissolv- 
ing and absorbing. It dissolves the foreign matter and absorbs 
it, so to speak. 



— 123 — 

It is well known that earth has been instinctively applied to 
the sting of bees, and the bite of snakes. 

In John 9:1, 6, and 7 we read: "And as Jesus passed by He 
saw a man which was blind from his birth." 

"When he had thus spoken He spat on the ground and made 
clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man 
with the clay. 

"And He said unto him, Go wash in the pool of Siloam. 
He went his way, therefore, and washed and came seeing." 

Through the wonderful healing power that inheres in the 
earth, earth compresses, too, become of the greatest importance 
Many a local trouble will flee from an earth compress as if by 
magic. It is nature's power again that works the wonder here. 




Folding Bathtub for the Natural Bath. 

In the case of ALL diseases the general treatment of the 
body with water, light and air, natural food, etc., is very impor- 
tant. It is through these measures that health may be per- 
manently restored. But great advantages attach also to local 
treatment. If prompt results are to be achieved, direct treatment 
of the affected spot is sometimes even very necessary. But for 
this purpose the only truly natural and really effective remedy 
is EARTH. 

Hitherto water compresses have been employed in such 



— 124 — 

cases, the Priessnitz compresses and packs, which consist in 
applying a wet linen cloth to the sick spot and covering it with 
woollen bandages to produce warmth. 

The earth compresses, however, are much more in accord- 
ance with nature and much more effective, since the earth will 
hold more water and retain it longer, and possesses moreover 
a dissolving and absorbing power of its own. 

The entire list of Priessnitz water compresses, including the 
compress on the abdomen, and all the different kinds of packs, 
are far surpassed by the earth compresses, and will soon be 
entirely superseded by the latter. 

These compresses are made of moist earth in the same way 
as the Priessnitz compresses and packs, only that moist earth 
is used instead of water. The earth must be as moist as possible 
short of being thin enough to run. 

In order to make an earth compress, the moist earth (or 
clay) is spread over the affected spot, on the abdomen, the chest, 
the eye, around the throat, on the neck, the cheek, the leg, the 
calf, the foot, the hand, the sexual parts, on the region of the 
kidneys, the liver, the spine, etc. It is then first covered with 
a linen cloth, somewhat larger than the spot covered by the earth. 
Then another covering of cotton or wool is placed over the linen, 
and the whole wound about with bandages, so as to remain in 
place. Strings may be sewed to one end of the bandage to 
facilitate the operation. 

Every thinking, skillful person will soon find out how the 
earth compress may best be put on in each particular case. The 
point to be considered is chiefly this, how the moist earth may be 
made to stay securely m place. 

The bandage may be made of cotton or wool. Wool, how- 
ever, is not as necessary as it is in water compresses, since the 
earth warms itself. But in the case of patients who have little 
animal heat, it is always best to use woollen bandages. 

In these earth compresses we possess a remedy which we 
may AT ONCE apply in all the cases of sickness that occur 
in daily life, and for all manner of pains. It will always prove 



— 125 — 

most effective. In most cases it will produce instant relief and 
improvement. In difficult cases the compress must be continued 
for some time. Earth is, so to speak, a universal remedy. 

Whether the affected part is internal or external, the earth 
compress will at once draw out the heat. If the disease is in the 
chest, the earth compress is naturally put on the chest; in kidney 
and liver trouble on the region of the kidneys and liver; in diph- 
theria around the throat, etc. 

Since the abdomen is the seat of all diseases, an earth com- 
press on the abdomen is of the greatest advantage in all dis- 
eases. This is especially the case in diseases that are not local, 
but which may be described as a general illness of the system, 
nervous disorders, melancholy, etc. 

The earth compress on the abdomen is of the greatest con- 
sequence in reducing fevers, and may, therefore, be relied upon 
in acute diseases: typhoid fever, scarlet fever, measles, influenza, 
etc., and in the case of the impairment of the general health. 

More heat is, of course, drawn from the abdomen by an 
earth compress, which remains on the abdomen for several hours, 
than by the natural bath, which can be taken only for several 
minutes at a time. 

But since the abdomen will have to be washed to rid it of 
the earth after the compress, a natural bath of short duration 
may always follow the application of an abdominal compress. 
The bath may, however, sometimes be dispensed with, as I have 
said before. 

One can always become convinced of how much heat the 
earth compress draws from the body or a wound by occasionally 
placing the hand over the compress. 

It is very grateful to the body to cover it all over with wet 
earth or wet clay and then He down in the hot sun. By doing this 
the skin will not become sunburnt. 

Merely washing the body with clay water will prevent its 
burning during a sun bath. 

The earth compress may be kept on for several hours, ac- 
cording to circumstances, and may be repeated several times 



126 



during the day. In serious cases the compress must be repeated 
oftener in the beginning. It may also be applied in the evening, 
on going to bed. and if not uncomfortable, be kept on during the 
night. In case the compress becomes too heated, it may be 
taken off and renewed after a time. 

Any kind of earth which the region where one lives happens 
to produce may be used for an earth compress or earth bandage. 
Clayey earth adheres readily and has some advantages. If ob- 
tainable, it is well to use clay. 

The earth compress may be relied upon in countless cases 
that occur in daily life ; for swellings, lung troubles, diseases of 
the throat and larynx, eye and ear troubles, gout and rheumatism, 
tetter, dandruff, abdominal and sexual complaints, kidney and 
liver complaints, diphtheria (compress around the throat), for 
every variety of pain, neuralgia, headache, toothache, etc. 

It is the surest remedy for soothing PAIN and truly harm- 
less, for it draws out the cause of pain, the foreign matter, and 
thereby removes the pain permanently. 

Just as unnatural means are often employed in the case of 
inflammations, boils, etc., which, while they affect a cure, are 
all the more dangerous because they actually drive the foreign 
matter back into the body, so harmful and dangerous remedies 
are often used for soothing pain. 

Dentists to-day often destroy teeth with their pain-killing 
remedies, which ought in all cases to be avoided. If the tooth- 
ache can be cured without pulling the tooth, the gain, naturally, 
is very great. 

For toothache the earth compress is applied externally at 
the spot of the pain, on the cheek, the chin, etc. 

If one application does not stop the pain, the compress must 
be repeated till the desired effect is produced. ■ 

Earth compresses on the neck are of especial advantage in 
the case of headaches. 

Persons struck by lightning, or poisoned by snake bite, or 
taken dangerously ill otherwise, have been buried in the ground 
with their whole body excepting the head; or with single limbs, 



— 127 — 

especially the legs and arms; and have thus been quickly healed 
and saved. Burying of the whole body or single parts in the 
earth may be done at a proper season of the year in particularly 
dangerous cases. In severe cases of cholera or typhoid fever 
this would be an excellent method. But the earth must not be 
too dry for this purpose. 

The great curative effect of the earth becomes apparent 
when one sees how invigorating and strengthening its influence 
is upon the affected parts of the body that have been treated with 
earth compresses, or upon the body or parts of it when buried 
in the ground. Persons suddenly struck dead have been recalled 
to life by this latter process. 

Burying one's self in the sand in the sunshine is also to be 
recommended. The effect is heightened by the warming of the 
sand by the SUN. 

But the earth ought always to be applied cold, and must 
never be ARTIFICIALLY WARMED BY FIRE. In drinking 
warm water we can at once feel that it has lost its freshness 
and its invigorating effect. So, also, the water that is used in 
bathing, and the earth that is used for compresses, lose their 
real healing and invigorating quality by being artificially warmed. 
It is indeed possible to dissolve diseased matter and achieve so- 
called cures with warm, even hot, water (for instance, by hot 
moor baths). But on the other hand the body is thereby debili- 
tated and very much injured, so that the harm done is in truth 
much greater than the good. To be sure ,the evil often does not 
appear immediately, but comes limping on behind later on. 

Cold washes, cold douches, and other cold baths directly 
after the application of warm water or warm earth cannot neu- 
tralize the great harm that has been done. 

In this place I should once more like to call attention to the 
injuriousne^s and disadvantage of hot steam baths. 

Earth or clay are also most excellent means for cleansing 
the skin. Frequent washing and rubbing of the body with clay 



■ .'— 128 — 

cleanses the skin perfectly and makes it at the same time smooth 
and pliable.* 

The successes achieved by this wonderful remedy, earth, in 
curing diseases in such an easy and agreeable manner are of 
such a nature as to call out the greatest enthusiasm and applause 
in behalf of earth-applications. The use of earth in the form of 
bandages and compresses had also been almost entirely over- 
looked (only the late venerable Prelate Kneipp occasionally em- 
ployed clay). But already in the first edition of my book I 
expressed the conviction that earth as a remedy had a great 
future, and that it would soon be generally introduced as a house- 
hold remedy, which w r ould be always on hand and never fail. 
Pacts have already justified this conviction. 

Already the most wonderful and brilliant cures are continu- 
ally being reported to me as the result of earth bandages and 
earth compresses, and the greatest enthusiasm has been expressed 
for these applications on all sides. 

Many, too, have written to me that my ideas have met with 
their most heartfelt response. 

The well-known Pastor Felke has become one of the chief 
champions of earth applications. He has been at the Jungborn, 
and has become deeply interested in my methods. 

It is my ardent wish that this old, simple, popular, and 
natural remedy should soon again receive its due meed and be 
appreciated at its full worth. 

Mankind will then be once again in full possession of the 
greatest natural remedy. 



*To-day we use soap made of the fat of animals that have per- 
ished from all sorts of diseases; that is the filthiest material con- 
ceivable, to cleanse our skin. But strictly speaking, the skin is not 
cleansed by the use of soap, but rather denied. The corrosive sub- 
stances contained in soap always injure the skin. If men were to 
discard the use of soap in their daily ablutions they would be much 
cleaner. Those who wash themselves with pure, clear water will 
be as clean as they need to be. Besides, clay and also sand is a nat- 
ural cleansing material. 



— 129 — 

HOW ARE WE TO BURY OUR DEAD? 

Death takes place when the soul is separated from the body. 
The body is then nothing more than earthly substance that im- 
mediately begins to disintegrate. 

Men have become very material-minded nowadays ; they 
cling to matter. They are no longer conscious of their higher 
significance; their thoughts and aspirations are not directed to- 
wards their, soul life that continues also after death. 

If a man has died, our thoughts do not follow the soul of 
the deceased, which is now seeking in higher spheres the per- 
fection it did not find here on earth. 

Our first impulse is to cling to the corpse. We still try to 
honor it by solemn burial, costly coffin and monument. 

But in burying the dead the intentions of nature are again 
entirely disregarded. For us burial ought to mean nothing but 
"Earth to earth, dust to dust." 

The body must become earth again as soon as possible. 

In the coffin, however, the body must first undergo horrible 
processes of corruption. It is for the most part eaten up by 
worms, and in this gradual decay offensive gases are produced, 
so that our cemeteries poison the air round about, and make it 
unwholesome. We must not allow ourselves to fully realize the 
condition of the bodies in the coffins ; it is too horrible. This 
has been sufficiently shown where bodies have been exhumed. 

But why must we bury our dead in a manner that is so 
disgusting to our imagination and so productive of pestilential 
gases and the like? 

Men have been known to have been buried in a state of 
apparent death. The reawakening of such an apparently dead 
person in his coffin, where he is at once doomed to suffocation, 
is one of the most horrible things imaginable. 

Much has been said in favor of cremation. Most expensive 
apparatus has been constructed for the purpose. Costly silver 
vases are made to receive the ashes of the cremated body. In 
these the relatives preserve all that is left of their beloved, — 

A3 



— 130 — 

ashes. The advantage here is that one can always carry this 
earthly remnant about with one, wherever one goes. 

This again is of a nature to dazzle many people, just as 
many another grand contrivance of our civilization. But after 
all, it only takes us still farther away from nature. 

Why do we not, in burying our dead, also do the most nat- 
ural, the simplest thing ? 

In nature dead animals are devoured by beasts of prey. The 
bodies thus serve as food for other creatures. On the other hand 
one may assume that beasts of prey had originally no other pur- 
pose than to devour the corpses, that would otherwise have con- 
taminated the air with their decay. Beasts of prey, therefore, 
likewise serve a good purpose in the economy of nature. 

There also still are people whose religion bids them to give 
the bodies of their dead as food to the beasts of the wilderness. 
They strictly adhere to the designs of nature, thinking that they 
thus come nearest to doing God's will. 

It is not to be thought of, under present conditions, that we 
should dispose of our dead in that way, and I need not say any- 
thing more about it. 

But, as for the rest, I think that we should be acting most 
in accordance with nature if we should simply return the bodies 
of our dead To the earth without covins. They would then 
re-combine with the earth in the simplest and quickest manner, 
without the products of decay, offensive gases and the like. 

We have long ago been compelled to this mode of burial, 
in times of war, although here, where great numbers of bodies 
are put into one grave, it may be that the gases are emitted 
through the earth. 

By the above mode of burial the reawakening of the appar- 
ently dead would be avoided. 

It is God's highest commandment that we should love and 
honor our fellow-beings more during their lifetime than we do 
to-day. After a person is dead, his body has no longer any 
value. 

But among our contemporaries it often seems that it is only 



— 131 — 

after a person has died that the desire awakens to show their 
love for him. 

O, lieb so lang du lieben kannst, 
O, lieb so lang du lieben magst. 
Die Stunde kommt, die Stunde kommt, 
Wo du an Graebern stehst und klagst. 

When those we loved die, our love must be directed toward 
the soul of the deceased that is now seeking its way to the throne 
of God. 

Not that we should ask God to return the soul to earth, but 
we should sincerely pray for its acceptance in grace and for- 
giveness, and that when our time comes, we may be reunited 
with the departed one in the arms of God. Till the time for that 
reunion comes we must be patient. 

We need, however, not to break with old customs and usages, 
or do violence to the sentiments of anyone. The burial could 
take place with all the former solemnity. The coffin might be 
so contrived that it could be easily taken apart and removed, 
after being lowered into the grave, and the body thus given 
directly to the earth. The grave could be adorned with flowers 
and cared for, just as well as before. 

To be sure, all expressions of love and honor for our dead, 
when they are sincere and heartfelt, are pleasing to God and 
helpful to the souls of our beloved dead. And love is its own re- 
ward. Therefore, such veneration redounds to our own good. 

This mode of burial does not in the least militate against 
die belief in the resurrection of the body, as taught by the New 
Testament. As for the rest, it is entirely immaterial how we 
conduct our burials. The resurrection of the spiritual life is 
the only thinkable one. 

"It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. 
There is a natural body and a spiritual body." (i Corinthians m: 
44)-* 



*I cannot here develop my ideas of the spiritual body; it would 
lead me too far. 



— 132 — 

Since the question of a new mode of burial has been fre- 
quently raised in our time, and cremation has received much 
consideration, I merely wished to call attention to the most 
natural way of disposing of our dead. This article has no other 
object. 

NATURAL FOOD. 

Since thousands of years science has endeavored to ascertain 
what substances man required for his nutrition : what, indeed, 
constitutes the right food for human beings. Physiology, chem- 
istry, anatomy, histology, anthropology, and still other branches 
of science are pursued for this purpose. 

But what has been the result of this research of a thousand 
years? One very prominent and celebrated professor declares 
that a truly scientific dietary is still impossible to-day; that 
science after long labor and research still does not know what 
men ought to eat and drink. He thereby gives science a certifi- 
cate of incompetency, which is unfortunately not yet recognized 
as incompetency. 

Science to-day does not even know what men originally 
knew without any study or research, but continuously promul- 
gates the greatest errors without ever realizing it. 

We might apply the words of the apostle to the great schol- 
ars of our time: 

" Professing themselves to be wise they became fools " 
(Romans I '.22). 

To him who again turns to nature, and thus learns in a 
simple manner and as it were from himself what he needs to 
know in order to be well and happy upon earth, to him those 
men, who are forever studying and experimenting with great 
pains and labor, in order finally to arrive only at absurdities, 
appear in a high degree comical. 

In spite of all their scientific researches, that which really 
furthers men's health, welfare and true happiness has become 
more and more obscure to them. But whoever again follows the 
voice and dictates of nature, in his mode of life, perceives that 



— 133 — 

all plants and animals, ui fact all creatures that remain under the 
tutelage of nature, are not tormented by diseases, want and mis- 
ery. He reaches such a firm conviction that he is upon the 
right track to health and salvation, that he remains entirely un- 
touched by that restlessness and uncertainty about the right, in 
which men to-day are tossed to and fro and incessantly tortured. 
He looks out upon that turbulent and mean-spirited strife of 
men concerning the good and the bad, the harmful and the bene- 
ficial, from a safe harbor with complete inward calm and cheer- 
fulness, and his unshakable consciousness of doing that which is 
really right is in itself a great happiness and curative power. 

Man is to-day exposed to the especially grave danger of 
being misled and confused on the question of nutrition. The 
body, it is claimed, must have albumen, nitrogen, nutritive salts, 
etc. 

We know, however, that only that is the true food toward 
which in pure nature instinct and taste direct us. Moreover, we 
know nothing definite, strictly speaking, of the necessary sub- 
stances of our food-stuffs and of the processes of digestion. 
This is in the main a secret to us, and always will remain one. 

The theories which science has advanced concerning nu- 
trition and the substances which the human body requires can 
well be described as the most absurd of all the absurdities that 
the misguided human mind has produced. This is also the 
leason why these theories change almost every day. 

Therefore we must be especially firm in this matter and 
allow ourselves to be guided only by the voices of nature as 
the only true guides of life. 

Is ihe young animal that leaves its nest and gets out into 
the open air for the first time in the least doubt as to what it 
is to choose for its food? It is guided by instinct, and finds its 
food without any ado. 

The young fawn eats grass, the little squirrel looks for nuts, 
the young fox immediately chases a mouse or some other animal. 

The young animals from the start avoid everything that is 
harmful, — poisonous plants and the like. 



— i34 — 

Man who originally followed the voices of nature unerr- 
ingly, guided by instinct and taste, chose the noblest and most 
beautiful products of the vegetable world, the fruits. Man 
probably could not eat grass, and he probably did not care to 
catch an animal and bite into it. 

We also read, Gen. I :20, : "And God said, Behold I have 
given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of 
all the earth, and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree 
yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." 




Scenery in Woman's Air and Sun Bath of the American "Jungborn," 

Butler, N. J. 



''Herbs bearing seed" and "trees yielding seed" are here 
specified; that is to say bearing fruit which is to be the food of 
man. To the beasts of the earth it says are given "every greet 7 
herb for meat" (Gen. 1 130) 

We certainly cannot assume that the trees themselves were 
to serve men as food. 

Wherever men lived nature originally produced fruit abun- 
dantly, and spontaneously, without the labor of man. But the 



— 135 — 

fruits differed according to the country, according to the warmer 
or colder climate. 

In our part of the globe the berries of the forests were the 
original food of man ; later he added the fruit of trees, and chief 
of all the nut; everything that tastes good in the raw, pure, un- 
changed state of nature/" 

The nut could be found, during the greater part of the year, 
for nature has so arranged it that the nut will keep perfectly for 
a long time after it has dropped from the branches on the ground 
or in the dry leaves. 

As long as the forests had not been cleared, and nature was 
everywhere still undisturbed, nuts and berries grew in such abun- 
dance, even in our parts, that they afforded sufficient nourishment 
to man. Nature in her infinite goodness has provided for all her 
creatures from the start, but most lavishly for her darling, 
man.^ 

In this way we have easily and surely arrived at a knowledge 
of our proper food. But we must not allow ourselves to be led 
astray again, for objections are at once made on all sides, and 
there are always men who think they can teach us better than 
nature and her voices. 

People are generally very much alarmed when they hear of 
man's proper food, for the first time, and think that they must 
at once adopt it. We touch men's sorest spot when we ques- 
tion their present mode of nutrition. 

I shall therefore try to be very considerate in speaking of 
food, and not discourage anybody. 



"Only the things that taste good to us in the raw, natural condi 
tion can be considered as our natural food, for by artificial preparation 
the most unnatural nauseating things can be made to taste good, for 
instance, the excrement of snipe. It is very easy to deceive the 
tongue. 

+ It is a well-known fact that the old Germans in the beginning 
subsisted exclusively on the fruits of the forests. Hunting did not 
begin till later. But even then berries and fruit remained for a long 
time their chief food. 



— 136 — 

Let everyone, in the first place, turn again to water, light 
and air, and earth in the way pointed out. Whoever cannot 
follow this up at once with a natural diet can at least simplify his 
mode of feeding as much as possible, and especially avoid harm- 
ful dishes and luxuries. 

Above all things one ought to control himself as far as 
possible in the matter of meat-eating. 

Salted and smoked meats are the most injurious. Pork 
and the various kinds of sausages are the worst of all. 

Instead of meat more milk might be taken, uncooked sweet 
milk, sour milk, cottage cheese (curds), etc. 

I cannot recommend eggs and dishes containing eggs. 

Potatoes, leguminous seeds, and bread as food for man are 
contrary to nature, as I have repeatedly indicated. We ought, 
therefore, to eat sparingly of these food stuffs. 

Instead of potatoes and leguminous seeds we ought to 
choose green vegetables and salads. Of the young vegetables 
some may well be eaten raw, for instance young peas, carrots, 
spinach, turnips, etc. 

It is less hazardous for laborers, who daily perform severe 
physical labor, to eat leguminous seeds, potatoes and bread. 
Persons who do no physical work must take these foods in 
limited quantities if they cannot avoid them altogether. In 
times of sickness this is of course especially necessary. 

Nuts and fruit ought to be always on the table. 

Cake and other sweetmeats, chocolate, cocoa, pudding, etc., 
always disturb the digestion, and are therefore injurious to health. 

Alcohol is the dangerous demon that is raging incessantly 
in the world to-day, and is everywhere cruelly destroying health 
and human happiness. One ought therefore to partake very 
sparingly indeed of beer, wine, etc., or better still, avoid these 
so-called luxuries altogether. 

But tobacco, too, is a false friend. I cannot warn against 
it sufficiently. 

Other stimulants, like coffee and tea, are likewise under- 
mining men's health everywhere at present. These, too, are slow 



— i37 — 

poisons whose dangerous character is not recognized. 

I wish especially to warn against coffee on account of its 
being in such general use at present. Instead of the real coffee 
cereal coffee (malt coffee) could be used. But of course the only 
natural drink is water. The deer of the forest drinks only water. 

On the whole, people ought to drink as little as possible. 
Soups, too, ought not to be served so often, nor much liquid food. 
Nature prescribes solid food which requires chewing. 

But if drinks and liquids are to be avoided, food must not be 
too highly seasoned. Salt and all spices are very deleterious to 
health, they are directly responsible for many diseases (cancer 
of the stomach, etc.). 

I have now been sufficiently regardful of people's weak- 
nesses in respect to diet. We must let well alone if people will 
only begin for the present to simplify their tables, to avoid a 
part of their unnatural food, to learn to appreciate fruit and 
nuts, and to give them a place on their table again. 

But I now want to point out the way to those who are al- 
ready desirous to come into full harmony with nature, who 
do not wish to make fruit a side-dish, but the staple article of 
their diet, or even their exclusive diet. I know how many there 
are even now, who would become willing and enthusiastic fol- 
lowers. The time is at hand for a return to nature. 

If the integrity of nature were undisturbed, man's instinct, 
taste, and conscience would lead him to choose only nuts and 
berries (preferably and chiefly nuts) -for his food. 

Besides nuts, berries growing in the woods, in free nature 
are the most appropriate human food. The berry especially to 
be considered here is the huckleberry, since that still grows in 
great abundance in our forests, and in its season is brought to 
market in great quantities. Would that the huckleberry would 
soon again receive the appreciation it merits. 

As complementary to the berries we have our splendid fruits, 
apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, grapes, to choose from, 
to which we may add tropic fruits : almonds, figs, dates, oranges, 
melons, bananas, etc. 



138 



O man, how richly God has spread the table for you ! 
Fruits are the food that God offers us, his sun has ripened 
them. Would that men no longer refused that divine gift. 




American Handmills for Grinding Nuts, Cereals, Malt-Coffee, etc. 

In refusing it they gravely sin against nature and God, and 
the penalty is inevitable : sickness and misery in a thousand 
shapes. 

Does not your heart rejoice within you when you see a fruit- 
tree laden with magnificent fruit? Do you not recognize in 
this the voice of nature? 

Cooked potatoes, leguminous seeds, bread, corpses of ani- 
mals, etc., what are they in comparison to magnificent fresh 
fruit? These cooked foods are dead and insipid; salt and other 
spices must be added in order to make them at all palatable. 



— 139 — 

Fruits are delicious to the taste, possess a splendid aroma, in 
them there still is freshness and life. 

The unnatural cooked foods oppress our intestines; they 
make us languid, dull and tired of life. Raw fruit again brings 
pure blood, life and strength, joy and gladness into our weak, 
sick body. 

Why does man seek after healing draughts? Fruit alone 
contains healing draughts for man; nature offers them ready 
made, they taste deliciously, and are sure to cure all his suffering 
and disease. Fruit contains nectar and ambrosia. Why does 
man reject these healing juices of nature, these most delicious 
potions, and brew instead horrible drinks, mixtures, herb lotions, 
teas, etc., forcing himself to swallow them in order only to bring 
unspeakable misery upon himself? 

Medicines do not cure our diseases. ~4 

"In vain shalt thou use many medicines ; for thou shalt not 
be cured." — (Jer. 46:11.) 

It is a sad fact that men do not recognize the great harm 
that medicines, salves, etc., always do to health. The poisons, 
unfortunately, are often misleading in their effects. 

Nature spontaneously produces fruit ; or fruit grows without 
much interference on the part of man. In order to produce the 
unnatural food, men must incessantly toil at severe, hard labor, 
at horticulture and agriculture. Only with a great deal of trouble 
can nature be made to yield the present food stuffs, bread, legu- 
minous seeds, potatoes, etc. 

In the face of all this it is inexplicable why men should 
reject fruit, the natural food. Here again we stand before a 
great riddle and cannot comprehend the folly of men. 

Fruit, too, ought to be eaten in the state in which nature 
produces it. If we dry, cook, or preserve fruit it naturally loses 
more or less of its original worth. The preparation of fruit 
juices, too, is not in accordance with nature, for the juice that 
is artificially withdrawn from the fruit is certainly not as whole- 
some as the juice eaten with the fruit in its natural state. 

The nut must therefore take the most essential part in 



— 140 — 

human nutrition. It is the nut that imparts warmth and strength 
to man. 

If some people cannot bite the nuts on account of bad teeth, 
they must eat them grated. 

Machines for grating the nuts can be bought in any house- 
furnishing store. 

I generally give hazel nuts the preference, because they are 
more likely to grow without artificial contrivances and culture. 
But walnuts will do very well, likewise other nuts.* Dates and 
nuts eaten together are delicious. 

Raw, uncooked milk can be added to the bill of fare. Butter 
and very soft cheese (curds) may be tolerated; they ought both 
to be unsalted if possible. Hardly anyone can be expected to re- 
turn at once to a purely fruit diet. We are therefore obliged to 
make the transition with milk, butter and bread (perhaps also 
some green vegetables). Among animals, young mammals like- 
wise retain the mother's breast for some time, while making the 
transition to the food of the adults. It seems that the degener- 
ate civilized stomach must in the same manner be gradually led 
to resume the natural food. Milk seems to me to be the best 
means for making the transition. 

A little bread, as a necessary evil, so to speak, may also be 



♦Besides the hazelnuts, which are called filberts in this country, 
I would greatly recommend our pecan nuts, as this kind is growing 
wild without any cultivation, and is preferred as an original natural 
nut, containing still more oil than the hazelnut, besides the pecan 
being the finest nut in the world in taste and flavor. 

A cousin to the pecan is the hickory, also a nut growing wild in 
the woods without any cultivation, and is greatly recommended also. 

Our black walnut, also growing wild, contains more oil than any 
other nuts. The following list of nuts, composed by the translator, 
gives the principal kinds of nuts found in America and other coun- 
tries: Almonds, Arhut, Bambarra ground, Brazil, Bread, Sonari, 
Cashew, Chestnut, Cob (Filbert or Hazel), Cob of Jamaica, Cocoa, 
Cola, Dika, Gingko, Hickory, Moreton Bay, Olive, Pecan, Pekea, Pine 
(Pignolia), Pistachio, Quandang, Rush, Sapucaya, Tahiti, Walnut, 
Water Chestnut. All of these can be used as food in their natural 
state. — B. Lust. 



— 141 — 

eaten. It is best to take wheat or graham bread. Our ordinary 
soured bread is very hard to digest, and can therefore not be 
recommended. Bread and butter with figs are very good. 

Stewed fruit, preserves, but also fresh fruit, strawberries, 
huckleberries, raspberries, etc., are very good mixed with curds. 

Such dishes are to be especially recommended to beginners, 
so that their table may not become too simple all at once. 

The curds are prepared in the following manner : Set the 
sour milk in a warm (not hot) place until the whey separates 
from the curds, then pour them onto a fine sieve, and at last 
mix the curds (cottage cheese) with sweet cream or sweet milk. 

Whoever cannot entirely dispense with cooked food may 
have one meal with vegetables cooked in butter (cocoa-nut butter 
is better) and perhaps a few potatoes. 

With the combinations thus suggested (nuts, all kinds of 
fruit, milk, butter and bread, also some cooked vegetables, etc.), 
this fruit diet can easily be generally introduced. This mode of 
nutrition will insure to a family many gustatory delights and 
much health. A diet reform in this manner is most necessary 
at present. The upper classes especially ought to take the lead 
in introducing this sort of a table into their families, not only 
in cases of sickness but for general use. 

The lower classes look upon the so-called delights of the 
table, which the well-to-do allow themselves in the shape of meat, 
wine, tobacco, and the like, as an advantage which the rich have 
above the poor. The poor, therefore, greatly aspire to gain this 
advantage for themselves likewise, but in this way they are striv- 
ing for the diseases and the glittering misery of the upper classes. 
Therefore it would be very desirable that the upper classes in the 
first place should deny themselves these unnatural foods, and 
all pernicious luxuries, and thus set a good example to the lower 
classes. 

But the true return to nature is the right way for both rich 
and poor, high and low, if they desire once more to obtain health 
and happiness. Nature knows no difference of class or rank. 
But under existing conditions a general return to nature, a so- 



— 142 — 

called reaction after the extreme of unnatural living, must pro- 
ceed, in the first place, from the upper circles. 

Here, too, help is most urgently needed. 

1 have not only observed at Jungborn, how quickly people 
became enthusiastic over the fruit diet suggested above, with the 
proper helps and transition dishes, but I also know a number of 
families, who have already accepted this sort of diet in their 
homes, and consider themselves happy in the change. The mem- 
bers of such a family are always full of praise of their new diet, 
its pleasures and delights. 

The table can, of course, be still simpler: nuts and native 
fruit are best and really all that is necessary. In some cases of 
sickness it is even necessary to simplify the table still more. 

Many, too, will be obliged to live plainer according to their 
means. But I have intentionally allowed for as much liberty 
and scope as possible in furnishing the table. 

This new departure in a meatless diet, in which fruit occu- 
pies the chief place, might be called the new vegetarianism. 

Leguminous seeds, green vegetables, potatoes, cereals, rice, 
etc., were not intended by nature as the food of man any more 
than meat; for these, too, do not taste good to us in their raw, 
uncooked condition without any seasoning. Now if man discon- 
tinues the use of meat, as well as alcohol, tobacco and the like, 
he breathes more freely as it were, as if relieved from a great 
crime against nature. But a diet of fruit, bread, green vege- 
tables, leguminous seeds, without nuts and milk, is wanting in the 
chief ingredient of human nourishment, i. e., fat, which the nut 
contains.* People thus fed generally look pale and thin, are 
always cold and often nervous, and other troubles, too, put in 



*It,is often said that our stable-fed cows are all sick, and that 
therefore we ought not to drink any milk. According to similar 
reasoning our babes ought not to drink their mother's milk un- 
cooked, for our women are all still more diseased; and yet the chil- 
dren that are not reared on their mother's milk thrive but poorly. 
Of course, the milk of healthy cows, such as go out to pasture, is 
much better than that of sick animals. 



— 143 — 

their appearance more and more. They have neither warmth 
nor vitality. 

The experiences that one has with regard to the health of 
old vegetarians are very bad. 

There are among them a great many pale, bloodless, dried- 
up, emaciated individuals. Old vegetarians ought therefore to 
listen to reason. 

It has been observed, however, that some persons can endure 
the unnatural diet of the old vegetarianism longer and better 
than others, and that the bad results do not appear alike in all 
cases. 

All that is said against the nut as a food is of course entirely 
false. 

Tt is claimed that the nut is hard to digest for man on ac- 
count of the oil it contains. Those who make this assertion do 
not consider what a reproach it implies against nature, as if she 
had created an improper and indigestible food for the highest 
of her creatures. 

Nature intended the nut for the squirrel as well as for man. 
and this little animal which so lightly skips from tree to tree in 
our woods does not in the least make the impression as if it were 
subsisting on indigestible food. 

I should like to advise the vegetarians, who make the above 
statement, to seriously make the attempt to live chiefly on nuts, 
instead of nourishing themselves with green vegetables, legumin- 
ous seeds, potatoes and bread. They will soon find out how 
their sluggish digestion becomes vigorous and strong. 

The immense strength that the ox derives from grass alone, 
and the elephant from rice alone, is also often cited to show how 
man, too, could become well and strong from only vegetables, 
leguminous seed, cereals (bread), and fruit. But I should like 
to call the attention of vegetarians, who make this claim, to the 
fact that the lion, and still more the whale, also receive immense 
strength from their meat diet. All creatures thrive only on the 
food to which nature has directed them through their instinct, 
sense of taste and conscience, and for the attainment, mastication, 



— 144 — 

and digestion of which nature has arranged their organs. Thus 
the fox thrives on a meat diet and the ox on grass. Fox and ox 
would fare badly on nuts. The dung-beetle feeds on dung. 
What other creature could likewise subsist on dung? 

It does not follow, therefore, that man can be healthy and 
happy on a diet of vegetables, leguminous seed, or fruit and 
bread, because the ox is strong and powerful on a diet of grass. 

On the other hand, man receives strength and vigor when 
he lives chiefly on nuts, for the nut is the food that man can relish 
in the raw state, therefore it was intended for him by nature, and 
she keeps it in store for him during the greater part of the year. 

It has frequently been pointed out in old and modern 
times that nature did not intend flesh but rather plants to be the 
food of man, but rarely has it been insisted on that nature's 
plan was not for man to eat green vegetables, leguminous seeds 
and bread, but raw fruit (berries, etc.), and it has been especially 
overlooked, so far, that nature chiefly intended the nut for man. 

An Englishman, the late Dr. med. Densmore, was the first 
to publicly call attention to the dangers of our present fatless 
vegetarian diet, and to refer us to the nut as the chief food of 
man. For this he deserves great credit. 

But Densmore was still entirely too much under the spell 
of science. Therefore his system had many faults. Densmore 
proves the correctness of the nut-diet scientifically, especially by 
the arrangement of the intestines. But scientific proofs have 
no value. All the absurdities of the medical art have been dem- 
onstrated as correct by scientific proofs. Everything, whatever 
it may be, can be proven right or wrong by the scientific method. 
The science that has not nature for a basis, and therefore has no 
basis at all, can be used in this manner. Therefore it has already 
been scientifically proven that the theories of Densmore are in- 
correct. But what is especially significant is that Densmore's 
scientific proofs could not at all convince the masses and win 
them over to a nut and fruit diet. Probably Densmore, too, 
originally came by his ideas through other ways than through 
science. 



— 145 — 

Nature and its laws are unchangeable from the beginning to 
eternity, and there never will be true successes in healing, and 
men can never become truly healthy, strong, and happy if they 
do not again take raw fruit, and above all nuts as their staple 
food. 

The answer to this will most assuredly be, that diseases 
have indeed been cured without the fruit and nut diet, and that 
men have been well and strong. But men to-day have no longer 
the least conception of true health, strength and happiness, such 
as nature will award to him, who will again strictly obey all her 
laws, and of the healing successes that can be achieved. 

I have already attempted, in the beginning of this book, to 
prove satisfactorily how incomprehensible and dangerous is the 
distrust which men have towards nature with respect to light and 
air. It is just as incomprehensible and injurious that they can 
have no confidence in the food which nature offers them. Is it 
not evident that all creatures are beautiful, well, strong and 
happy when feeding on their natural food; the deer on grass, the 
lion on flesh? 

It is also well known that the orang-outang, whose intestines 
and organs of digestion are so like man's that they can be mis- 
taken for them, lives entirely on raw fruit, and nevertheless 
possesses such enormous strength that he is the giant of the 
tropic forest. It is believed that man would not derive sufficient 
strength from a fruit diet. But with his artificial diet of meat, 
vegetables, leguminous seeds, bread and alcohol, he is to-day al- 
together infirm and weak in comparison with the orang-outang. 
He could, however, be much stronger than the orang-outang, if 
he ate truly natural food, and otherwise led a truly natural life, 
for as the highest creature, who is to rule over all the animals, 
who was the most highly developed, he ought greatly to surpass 
all animals in strength. 

The myths of giants, Cyclops, and the Valkyries, also point 
to the original great strength of man. 

Animals always prefer unripe and half-ripe plants and fruit. 
E\ery experience will confirm this. Children, too, who still 



— 146 — 

have more instinct than adults, are generally fond of unripe fruit. 

Even naturalists seem to note the fact that animals prefer 
unripe plants and fruit. 

In Martin's new large natural history we find it stated that 
the orang-outang of the wilderness is especially fond of eating 
unripe fruit. 

It is a well known fact that birds like the cherries best before 
they are quite ripe, but are just beginning to turn red. Birds 
will leave the ripe cherry-tree alone and turn to the tree with the 
unripe fruit. 

It can be generally observed that animals like the tender, 
unripe grass and grain best. 

They also like the dried grass and straw better when it has 
been cut sooner, and in a more unripe state than farmers usually 
cut it nowadays. The unripe fodder is also more wholesome and 
more advantageous for the animals. 

Apples that are put by for use in winter are now generally 
picked half-ripe. They would have to stay on the tree much 
longer before they would be fully ripe. 

That children get diarrhoea and skin trouble from eating un- 
ripe fruit proves most effectually that unripe fruit more than ripe 
fruit has an invigorating and stimulating effect upon the body, for 
diarrhcea and skin trouble are likewise only curative crises, puri- 
fying processes of the body. 

One should therefore no longer fear unripe and half-ripe 
fruit, but should eat it. Our pampered tongue will also relish 
it more and more. Green vegetables are unripe herbs or unripe 
leguminous seeds, therefore green vegetables are more wholesome 
than ripe leguminous seeds and ripe grain, from which bread is 
baked. 

Animals that are fed much on leguminous seeds and ripe 
grain, and especially when they do not work hard, always grow 
stiff in the joints and sometimes even die. On the other hand, 
horses that are fed on unripe fodder, even if it is in a dried state, 
do not get stiff. This proves that the leguminous seeds and the 
ripe grain are not according to nature, and cannot be recom- 



— 147 — 

mended. For this reason the present-day vegetarians make a 
great mistake, in recommending whole wheat made of full, ripe 
kernels with thick chaff, as the basis of human nourishment. 
This mistake has often enough been severely punished. 

Many people think that dates and figs are not good for our 
teeth. The dates and figs that we cat are dried and, therefore, 
no longer pure nature. It may be that abundance of sugar in 
our dried tropical fruit is of a certain disadvantage to our teeth, 
but I doubt if this is so very bad. Moreover, tropical fr-it is not 
absolutely necessary, I recommend it chiefly because it gives more 
variety to our table, especially in winter, which is very agreeable. 
Against fresh tropical fruit, like oranges, etc., such objec- 
tions can, of course, not be raised. 

To be sure, our fruit is artificially cultivated and no longer a 
spontaneous product of the earth, but it is still a product of na- 
ture that we relish in the raw state and can, therefore, be eaten 
just as well as berries. 

Tropical fruits (dates, figs, oranges, almonds, etc.), do not 
thrive in the same climate with us and are properly intended 
only for the inhabitants of southern countries, but we can relish 
them raw, and they cannot therefore, be considered exactly as 
unnatural food. 

We therefore act but very slightly contrary to nature when 
we eat tropical fruit in comparison to the very great departure 
from nature that man is guilty of when he eats leguminous 
seeds, potatoes, and the like. 

Milk must always be taken uncooked; cooking only makes 
the milk indigesiible. Sour milk can also be used. 

Of course, fruit and berries ought in the first place to be 
eaten raw (uncooked). In the absence of fresh fruit, however, 
dried, stewed and cooked fruit can be eaten. 

In the preparation of stewed fruit and fruit preserves no 
sugar or very little ought to be used. Artificially prepared 
sugar (not the sugar that is contained in the fruit) is very in- 
jurious to the stomach. 



— 148 — 

The unblued sugar, which can be found in the market, is, of 
course, better than the ordinary sugar. 

Dates may be used for sweetening. Honey is permissible 
with bread. 

It is necessary to eat slowly, and to masticate well. The 
stomach can digest food better that has been well mixed with 
saliva. 

It is natural to eat raw fruit more slowly than cooked viands. 
If we only always stand by nature, the right thing will come of 
its own accord. 

The transition from a meat diet to the present vegetarian 
diet (green vegetables, leguminous seeds, bread and some fruit) 
is very difficult, as a strong desire for fat, which the nut contains, 
will soon make itself felt. In the course of time there will also be 
other sensations of discomfort, although the symptoms caused by 
a meat diet and alcohol will disappear. That is why so many 
discontinue their vegetarian mode of life again. But with a diet 
of raw fruit, especially with nuts and raw fruit, the digestive 
organs are at once very much relieved, and the digestion very 
much improved. This clears the head also, and makes the entire 
being feel free and light-hearted, while a hitherto unknown sen- 
sation of well-being and joy pervades it. Since the body is now 
supplied with the substances it requires for its nutrition and de- 
velopment, an agreeable sensation of bodily warmth soon makes 
itself felt, and with a new sense of power and vigor there also 
comes new joy iii life. 

As for the pampered palate, that finally learns to relish the 
most tasteless things, even those that were exceedingly disagreea- 
ble at first, for instance alcohol and tobacco. 

In truth, however, no culinary art can impart the fine taste 
to viands that nature gives to raw fruit which has grown and 
prospered in God's own sun. 

If a person has only for a short time overcome his craving 
for unnatural food, he will learn to appreciate the real luxuries of 
a natural diet. He can always eat the raw fruit without craving 
any change, and will become more and more susceptible to the 



— 149 — 

finest flavors, so that it would be very difficult for hin? to accus- 
tom himself again to the old mode of living. 

This explains why people remain enthusiastic adherents to 
the fruit diet, even those, who could be kept on the old vegetarian 
diet with the greatest difficulty only. 

But in recommending this diet I must again call attention to 
the fact that the more strictly in accordance with nature we make 
this change in our food, the more and the stronger the so-called 
curative crises may appear. They may manifest themselves in 
various forms, by pains in the limbs, a temporary feeling of 
languor, and in other ways. They are always a good sign ; they 
prove that the body is in full curative activity. The patient also 
distinctly feels the relief which the crises bring him, and will 
not be discouraged by them if he understands nature only to 
some extent. 

Sometimes, too, with this thoroughly natural diet an ex- 
cessively keen appetite sets in in the beginning, so that great 
quantities must frequently be eaten to satisfy it. This is also a 
good sign, as it proves that the body is now beginning energetic- 
ally to build itself up. 

An excessive appetite in the beginning need not alarm any- 
one, it will disappear again in time, and finally one will require 
a smaller quantity, in order to feel satiated than formerly with 
the unnatural food, and this lesser quantity will be eaten with 
greater relish. 

Excepting the mother's milk, the food which nature pro- 
vides for man is in solid form. The animals in nature that sub- 
sist on raw, juicy vegetable food, drink very little, the roe, for 
instance, does not drink at all. It is probable that man, too, was 
originally a non-drinker, since it is so difficult for him to drink- 
without an artificial apparatus. But if one considers hew much 
liquid food (soups) man eats nowadays, and what quantities he 
drinks (alcohol, spirits, coffee, tea, etc.), it is easy to see how 
greatly man sins against nature in this respect also. 

Cures are achieved by Schroth's cure only through this cir- 
cumstance that the patient must for a time avoid all liquids. 



— 150 — 

Whoever begins to derive his nourishment entirely from 
fruit will soon perceive that he is no longer thirsty and does not 
need to drink. 

As for the rest, the only drink that nature offers, besides the 
mother's milk is water, Lemonade and fruit-juices may also be 
used. 

An agreeable drink can be made in the following manner: 
One bottle of selters water or chalybeate spring water and add 
the juice of one lemon, and raspberry juice as flavor. This 
drink has been used at Jungborn on festive occasions, and has 
met with much approval. We always had a happy time over it. 

If there must be drinking on festive occasions, therefore, 
it is not at all necessary to take alcoholic drinks. Glasses can be 
touched with fruit- juice, too, and toasts can be proposed to the 
Fatherland, to anyone's birthday, etc. High spirits, and cheer- 
fulness need not necessarily be accompanied by intoxication. 

Fruit- juices ought always to be simple, pure juices, such as 
our housewives prepare them. 

To all the manufactured fruit- juice of to-day (that are ad- 
vertised under high-sounding names, such as unfermented wines, 
etc.), there must always be attached some suspicion of adultera- 
tions, although some of these are often even prepared in good 
faith. 

The unnatural thirst that is at present caused by meat, salt, 
and spices, calls for strong, exciting drinks. The flabby nervous 
system, too, wants sometimes stimulation; but when stimulated it 
finds itself more completely shattered In this way man came to 
be addicted to alcoholic drinks, spirits, coffee, tea, etc I sup- 
pose it is no longer necessary to prove how alcohol is con- 
trary to nature, and how much disaster in every form this mons- 
trous demon has caused among mankind. 

In small quantities, of course, alcohol is comparatively less 
harmful, than when taken in great quantities. Physicians who 
assume that beer and wine in small quantities are even strength- 
ening, and therefore prescribe it to their patients, err most un- 
fortunately. Even a slight artificial excitement through alcohol, 



— i5i — 

which must always be followed by a much greater relaxation, is 
very harmful even to healthy persons; to the sick it must be still 
more harmful. 

The harm that men cause to their health nowadays by the 
excessive use of alcohol, spirits, and tobacco, women try to 
achieve with coffee. Coffee is to-day a source of much sickness 
and misery among our women. As long as a woman does not 
wean herself from coffee she can never enter upon the road to 
true health. Coffee made from cereals is naturally not nearly as 
harmful as real coffee, but it is desirable that even the use of 
cereal coffee (malt coffee) should be more and more restricted 
and avoided, since much liquid food is always injurious. 

The more fresh, juicy fruit man eats, however, the more 
does the craving for drinks and liquids subside. 

Drunkenness can only be cured by a natural diet. 

Opponents to the natural mode of living have all kinds of 
doubts and objections to offer. One immediately asks where all 
the nuts, apples, etc., are to come from if all people were again to 
live a natural life; another is full of anxiety about the many 
butchers, shoemakers, inn-keepers, apothecaries, etc., who will 
then be out of employment. 

Everyone who to-day wishes to live on natural food can 
easily get what he needs for his nourishment. 

As soon as the demand for fruit should become greater, how- 
ever, great quantities of it could be raised on the surfaces now 
devoted to cattle-raising and to the cultivation of a great many 
things that are not only without value, but even injurious to 
man (tobacco, turnips, potatoes, grain, etc.). 

To-day the space allowed to fruit is only along the public 
highway and other desolate and useless places and surfaces. 
The berries and nuts in our woods are actually looked upon as 
weeds and are exterminated. 

Strictly speaking, the condition of man has deteriorated in 
the same degree in which he has deviated from nature in his 
mode of living, and in which civilization and science have ad- 
vanced, and it will once more improve in exactly the same degree 



— 152 — 

in which he will again approach nature. In the beginning there 
were no trades, men were happy then; if it could be that trades 
would again become superfluous, then all men would once more 
achieve earthly happiness, however unlikely that may seem to 
many. 

I would implore every fruit-eater, even now, to do all in 
his power to foster fruit culture. 

The human digestion in all its contrivances is arranged only 
for a fruit diet ; fruit alone, therefore, can be easily and com- 
pletely digested. 

The process of developing foreign matter is, therefore, at 
once suspended where fruit is the only nourishment, and the di- 
gestive organs can devote themselves all the more to carrying 
away old, stored-up foreign matter ; the fruit serves as a stimu- 
lus to this activity. 

Considering the digestibility of raw fruit, and all the won- 
derful healing and vitalizing powers it possesses, it is obvious of 
what great importance a fruit diet must be in the curing of dis- 
eases. 

The successes that have been achieved with a fruit diet are 
indeed wonderful. Through it health often returns in cases 
where all vital energy seems to have been extinguished, and noth- 
ing seems to remain but to despair. I have frequently convinced 
myself of thi.3. 

Why then must we still neglect fruit and have recourse to 
all sorts of unnatural foods and remedies? 

Every animal when it gets sick instantly stops taking- 
nourishment. 

Man ought to eat as little as possible during sickness, at 
least he ought to eat only when the stomach demands food by 
means of a violent appetite. 

Temporary fasting is of great advantage. 

Jesus, too, thought highly of fasting: "Howbeit this kind 
goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." — Matt. 17:21. 

Many believe that they must force themselves to eat when 



— 153 — 

they are sick and have no appetite, so that the body may not be- 
come too weak, but that is a fatal mistake. 

When the stomach does not demand food, it is in no con- 
dition to digest it ; it will then only be burdened with the food 
which it receives without appetite, which in sickness especially is 
very injurious, and may even become very dangerous. No well 
person ought ever to be urged to eat, but with a sick person this 
must be avoided all the more. Here, too, it would be very desir- 
able that anxious mothers should not sin so much in this re- 
spect. 

With artificial food there is always this danger, that men 
will eat too much, while with natural food (raw fruit) nature 
has so arranged it that it is not easy to eat too much. Therefore 
if a person eats fruit when he is sick, he need not be so afraid of 
eating too much. 

In describing the natural mode of life my object, so far, has 
essentially been to point out the advantages that it brings to the 
physical part of man ; I have tried to explain how those conditions 
that we call disease can be avoided and cured by a return to 
nature. 

Bui in nature everything is in closest harmony, and in man, 
too, body, mind, and soul cannot be separated from each other. 
The body sustains mind and soul, and contrariwise, mind and 
soul always influence the body. 

Man was originally created by God not only entirely healthy 
and beautiful, but also absolutely noble and good. He was the 
crowning glory of creation. The masterpiece of the all-wise and 
all-good God could not be full of imperfections of body, mind, 
and soul. 

Men to-day possess sinful desires of all sorts, they struggle 
much against them with all the means in their power, but they 
again and again relapse into sin. If God had originally placed 
these evil tendencies into man, which he so often and so repeat- 
edly tries to overcome with all the earnestness and all the strength 
that is in him, only to succumb every time, then God would not be 
a good God but an evil spirit, whose pleasure is not in goodness 



— 154 — 

but in evil. But the sinfulness of man is the consequence of his 
own unnatural mode of life. The fall of man was through a 
forbidden food, a fall from nature, as I will show more fully. 

In free nature, for instance, the animals indulge in the 
sexual act only for purposes of propagation. After the impreg- 
nation has taken place the animals do not only discontinue the 
sex act, they cannot even be forced to it by any means. Just so 
it is with man ; the healthier he becomes, by leading a natural life, 
the more can he not only avoid immorality and other sins, but 
they become quite impossible to him. But only when he has 
arrived at this stage is man truly reformed. However, among 
all the various classes of animals there are even sub-divisions; 
for instance, the quadrumana are divided into apes proper and 
monkeys. The various races of men, likewise, have not all 
reached the same degree of development, some possess more 
imagination and reason than others. "Man," of whose blissful 
and god-like state, the myth of Paradise tells us, was meant to 
belong to the most highly developed race (i.e. the white race). 
Those men who were most highly gifted with reason, were also 
the men who were most exposed to the danger of achieving the 
highest culture and scientific development, and were thus destined 
to drift into the greatest misery. 

We need not fear, however, that, by a complete return to 
nature, modern civilized man will finally return to the state of 
the savage races of. distant countries, who are not much above the 
animals. 

All the deviations from the original, healthy condition of 
the mind and soul have been caused by disturbances in the body. 
The foreign matter injures all the organs, even those that unite 
the mind and soul with the body. But no one thinks to-day 
that by caring for the body in accordance with nature, we can do 
away with such conditions as idiocy, insanity, absence of mind, 
ennui, ill-humor, melancholia, anxiety, sensuality, youthful ex- 
cesses, vice, and crime, passion, hatred, envy, malevolence, etc. 

At all events, all ethical culture, all the work expended on the 
mind and soul is in the main to no purpose, without the corres- 



— 155 — 

ponding natural care of the body, and may even cause still 
worse conditions. 

A Greek myth tells of the Danaids. These were the 
daughters of the King Danaos, who, upon the advice of their 
father, had killed their husbands on their wedding night. For 
punishment after their death, they were condemned to continu- 
ally dip water into sieves in the underworld. 

All those who are to-day working to make men better and 
happier without first leading them back to nature, are doing the 
work of the Danaids ; they are forever dipping water into a sieve, 
which can never be filled. 

Yes, all those lawgivers and philanthropists, who know 
nothing of the significance of a natural mode of life, often only 
increase the evil. Thus, for instance, we fight against public 
vice, prostitution, and thereby merely further what is much 
worse, and more dangerous, secret vice. 

This reminds one of the struggle with the Hydra, of which 
the Greek myth likewise tells us. The Hydra was a monster with 
nine (or a hundred) heads, that devastated the region about the 
Argolian swamp Lerna. It was in vain to attempt to slay this 
monster, for two new heads grew for every one that was cut off. 

The giant Hercules, however, subdued the monster and killed 
it. 

All the evil in the world, the present dangerous monster 
among mankind, can also be destroyed, but only one thing avails : 
return to nature. 

:, So God created man in His own image, in the image of 
God created he him." — Gen. I 'ay. 

God is love, and in this respect man resembled God. Love 
of God and his fellows was ' originally the sole disposition of 
man. 

When man fell from nature the consequent sufferings of the 
body were at once accompanied by taints of the soul. Sensual 
pleasure, in its manifold ugly shapes (especially sexual sensu- 



- i56 - 

ality* the chief evil) was created, and man's love became tainted; 
hatred arose, from hatred grew envy, malevolence, and all the 
sins against God and our fellows. The image of God was more 
and more lost in man. 

In nature we at once see that all creatures which live on 
flesh are vicious, while plant-eating animals are gentle and peace- 
able. As soon as the ape and the dog are fed on flesh they lose 
their docile disposition and become fierce and dangerous. Apes 
that are fed on meat only a short time, at once become unchaste 
in the worst degree. 

The natural mode of living is not merely a stomach ques- 
tion, then; we wish thereby not merely to heal the sufferings of 
our body, but to reach higher ends, yea, the very highest end, of 
morality and virtue. Man's likeness to God will be restored 
more and more. 

JESUS AND THE NATURAL MODE OF LIFE. 

Jesus, the Saviour of the world, must be our staff and guide. 
Let us go to the Saviour for advice on all vital questions. Is the 
question of our nutrition of such small importance, then, that 
we need not be concerned about what Jesus prescribes in re- 
gard to it? 

All religions give prescriptions with regard to food, the re- 
ligion of the Jews, the Mohammedans, and above all the great 
society of Buddhists in India. It is a well-known fact that the 
Buddhists are not allowed to eat meat. 

Can it be, then, that Jesus alone placed no value on food? 
Should the Saviour, who preached only love, and gentleness and 



♦The reproductive and digestive organs of man are closely con- 
nected. Animals in the lowest stage of development possess only- 
reproductive and digestive organs. With man's unnatural mode of 
nourishment, sensuality is produced in the first place. 

After the fall of man shame appeared. Man was ashamed, 
which was the first result of the forbidden fruit: therefore they had 
recourse to fig leaves. But shame is the sign of sexual impurity. 
The primeval, completely healthy and pure man was not ashamed. 



— 157 — 

peacefnlness, not have known that this requires a natural mode of 
nutrition ? Almost all mankind to-day are indifferent about their 
food, and do not see what great harm is done to body and soul 
by unnatural nourishment. But Jesus walked on divine heights, 
and should He not have known the great truth, the importance of 
obedience to the laws of nature with respect to food ? 

Oh, ye ignorant and fools, I should like to exclaim here ! It 
is safe to assume off-hand that the Saviour did not walk in such 
dark error. 

We see that although Jesus primarily preached the salva- 
tion of the soul, He was at the same time occupied, wherever He 
went, with healing the diseases of the body. Jesus well knew 
that the sufferings of the body could not be set aside. 

In antiquity health culture was always a matter of religion. 
Priest and physician were always one and the same person. 
This was also the case with Jesus, He too, realized that body and 
soul could not be separated, if men were once more to be made 
sound, good, and pious. 

By a natural mode of life we obey the laws of nature, which 
are God's commandments; conformity to nature must be a mat- 
ter of religion. 

I have often pointed out how Jesus always sought this union 
with nature. Jesus remained in the desert for forty days, He 
preached in the desert, on the seashore, and on the mountain. 

Jesus always held up the mode of life of the animals in 
free nature as an example to men : 

"Behold the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither do 
they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your Heavenly Father feed- 
eth them. Are ye not much better than they?" 

When John sent word to Christ to ask, "Art thou he that 
should come?"' ihe answer came back: 

"The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the 
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear." — Matt, ti 15. 

Jesus wished to be recognized by John by the healing of the 
diseases of the body. 



- 158 - 

When Jesus sent out His disciples, He bade them : 

"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers," etc. — Matt. 10 :8. 

People came to Jesus under the same circumstances under 
which to-day -they come to the nature-cure method, after they 
have tried everything- that science has to offer. 

"And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which 
had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed 
of any, 

"Came behind him and touched the border of his garment ; 
and immediately her issue of blood stanched." — Luke 8:43, 44. 

And this word of the Saviour's also: 

"I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because 
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast 
revealed them unto babes" (Matt. 11:25), still holds with the 
nature-cure method to-day. They are only lay people, insignifi- 
cant men, not great men of science, who have once more taught 
us what can really make men healthy and happy. 

The Essenes thought much of the bath ; they took one daily, 
and always thought it was a religious rite. 

Jesus practised and taught bathing in the same way. Bap- 
tism in the Christendom of to-day is a remnant of this. 

From the above we can see that Jesus not only healed a 
great many diseases, but also championed a natural method of 
curing. 

But Jesus also preached a natural mode of life. The first 
Christians, the saints of old, as soon as they were converted to 
Christianity, withdrew from the world to nature; they always 
nourished themselves on vegetables, often from the abundant 
fruit alone that grew in the forests of the Orient. This is re- 
ported to us in the history of the Church. Saint Augustine is said 
to have eaten only fifteen figs a day. Surely the early followers 
of the Saviour knew better than the present misguided Christians 
what mode of life Jesus prescribed. 

So, too, the old cloisters were in the beginning always built 
in the woods, in the midst of nature; vegetable food and other 



— 159 — 

directions for a nature life were always among the rules of the 
cloister. 

Nevertheless Christianity gradually fell away again from the 
natural mode of life. 

Even behind the walls of those world-secluded cloisters, 
meat-eating, gluttony, and drunkenness soon held sway once 
more, and in consequence all sorts of sins and vices ran riot there. 
The monks well knew that this mode of living was not in ac- 
cordance with the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. Therefore 
they hid the Bible and kept it from the people. 

In this manner, only a few remnants were finally left in the 
Christian Church as reminders of the diet of Jesus : fasting in 
Lent, ember and vigil days, abstinence of meat on Fridays, Ash 
Wednesday and Holy Week, the Sacraments, etc. 

John was the precursor of the Saviour. Of him it was said 
in the announcement: 

''For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall 
drink neither wine nor strong drink." — Luke I 115. 

John lived in free nature: he dispensed with culture en- 
tirely, and wore only a mantle of camel's hair. And our Bible 
to-day tells us that John ate "locusts and wild honey." 

But eminent theologians and Bible translators (for instance 
Bunsen), who are by no means vegetarians, and do not care to 
speak in its favor, are of the opinion that a mistake has here been 
made in the translation. They think that the words "locusts and 
wild honey" had better be translated as "sprouts of trees (fruit, 
like nuts) and sap or sugar of trees." 

In the Orient many trees yielded a sort of sap or sugar, 
which was used as food. Or fruit especially rich in sugar may 
have been meant. 

It is hardly credible that a pious man like John would have 
run after locusts to catch and eat them, without any preparation, 
when he became hungry. 

There are, indeed, people who, besides other unnatural food, 
wi-U eat locusts, but they first roast them and grind them to 
powder. But an artificial preparation of the locusts was im- 



— 160 — 

possible to John, this son of free nature, who had neither spider 
nor stew-pan. Even if there are some people who have been 
depraved to such an extent by unnatural food that they are again 
able to eat and swallow live locusts and beetles and the like, it 
is not at all probable that the great and holy John did it. But 
at all events it is impossible that John could have lived on live 
locusts all the time. In that case we should have to look upon 
him as a monster, not as the precursor of the Lord, whom the 
prophet announced with the words : 

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare 
the way before me : and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly 
come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom 
ye delight in." — Mai. 3:1. 

In consequence of the above error in the translation, we to- 
day have an indistinct and wrong impression of John the Baptist. 

I now hope to show you John in a true light, so that we 
may be edified by him and appreciate his mission in every 
respect. 

What is meant by wild honey is quite inconceivable. Is 
one to believe that John in the wilderness daily took the honev 
from the bees? I do not think that this would have been an 
easy task for him. 

The translation according to which John nourished himself 
with the nut-like fruit of trees, is obviously the right one. 

But John only wished to smooth the way for the great King 
that was to come : "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his 
paths straight." From John's mode of eating, therefore, we may 
infer that of the Saviour. 

When the Saviour was born the wise men came from the 
Orient. 

Now long before the time of Jesus there were the Buddhists 
in India who led a religious nature life. 

It is safe to assume that these wise men of the Orient came 
from the Buddhists. Thus we see at once that there was a con- 
nection between the Buddhists and Jesus. 

The theologians know that in the course of time passages of 



— 161 — 

the Bible have been expurgated and spurious passages have been 
inserted, and that in many ways falsifications and misrepresenta- 
tions have taken place. Many philologists and theologians have 
exposed a number of false passages in the Bible. 

I have already pointed out how the Christians have deviated 
more and more from the natural mode of life prescribed by 
Jesus, and how they have tried to conceal it. This probably ex- 
plains how the first copyists of the New Testament, and later the 
translators, came to expurgate and falsify, at first consciously and 
finally unconsciously, the very passages relating to Jesus' direc- 
tions for a natural mode of life. In this way we can explain how 
it came about that in the New Testament many passages, especi- 
ally such relating to the natural mode of life, are wanting, and 
others that are still extant are so obscure and confused.* 

Luther has given us the best Bible translation ; it is pregnant 
with poetic beauty and very well adapted to the understanding 
of the German peopie. But in Luther's time the knowledge of 
a natural mode of life and its significance for body and soul, 
had become totally lost. This explains how Luther came to 
make man}' a bad blunder in his translation, which can mislead 
us in regard to the mode of life taught by the New Testament. 

But there are still many passages in the New Testament 
which plainly show the Saviour's plan of nutrition, and other 
passages can easily be set right. This can be done especially if 
we no longer insist too rigidly on the meaning of single words, 
but have an eye to the spirit of the New Testament. I shall 
return to this later. 

But whatever has been done to efface and obscure the 
teachings of Jesus with regard to a nature life, they cannot be 
obliterated from the soul of the people and from the customs 



♦The late Dr. med. Rich. Nagel, an old champion of vegetarianism, 
has given us some correct and good references and clews to innum- 
erable, wonderfully forced Bible translations. Dr. Nagel's transla- 
tions have for the most part not been brought before the public at all. 
But it is our highest duty not to overlook or forget any merits. 
Therefore I wish to mention Dr. Nagel in this place. 



— l62 — 

of the people, upon which the powerful holy institutions of the 
Saviour have made such a lasting impression. 

On Christmas, the birthday of the Saviour, when the holy 
night descends, when the candles of the Christmas tree are lit, 
and holy Christmas joy and Christian love fill our hearts, we still 
eat nuts and apples. Nuts and apples belong to this consecrated 
feast of Christendom, and if we are not altogether thoughtless, 
we shall recognize in this old custom the food which the Saviour 
had once prescribed for us. 

The great significance of the old custom of eating nuts and 
apples on Christmas is unfortunately not recognized at all. 

Would that Christmas might become the perennial feast of 
Christendom, and that nuts and apples might again become men's 
daily food; then, too, the iove that fills their hearts on that day 
would again prevail, and soon we should once more hear : "Peace 
on earth, good-will to man." 

Jesus will but have gained in wisdom and holiness for us 
when we have realized that He, too, preached the natural food, 
that the eternally inviolable laws of nature were not unknown 
to Him, and that He did not corrupt His body with all kinds of 
unnatural food. On the other hand, this knowledge will lead 
us to look upon the natural mode of life as something holy, 
something drvinely appointed. Not until then shall we appreciate 
it fully. 

But although Jesus did indeed prescribe a natural food, He 
was in this respect, too, considerate and gentle with His newly- 
won followers; in this respect, too, Jesus stroked the lost and 
misguided sheep gently and cautiously. 

Jesus always thought very highly of John : 

"Verily I say unto >ou, Among them that are born of 
women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist." — 
Matt, iiiii: 

Jesus also valued and Himself adopted the diet of John. 

But for the above reason, out of love and wisdom He was 
not so strict with regard to food as John. During the three 
years that Jesus taught, He did not, like John, live entirely on 



- i6 3 - 

unprepared food, raw fruit, but ate also prepared food, cooked 
vegetables (also bread). 

"For John came neither eating nor drinking (artificially pre- 
pared food and drink), and they say, He hath a devil. 

"The Son of man came eating and drinking (cooked food, 
bread, etc.), and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a 
winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is 
justified of her children." — Matt. II :i8, 19. 

These words of the Saviour show that He considered fruit 
as the only correct diet, and only deviated from it sometimes at 
the call of wisdom ; and how He was misunderstood on that 
account on the part of His malicious opponents. 

Jesus and the Bible would preach the true salvation of 
man, therefore they must especially preach the natural mode of 
life, for not until men practise this can they gain their salvation. 

Jesus did indeed consider the soul higher than the body, and 
He did not wish that we should consider our nourishment too 
anxiously and painfully, and should thus be prevented from 
diverting our thoughts and senses toward a higher soul-life. 

I think I have now considered every condition in the matter 
of diet. I have arranged the diet for the weak, who cannot at 
once break entirely with the old food, and for the strong, who 
desire to be led by the hand of nature to the sunny heights of 
health and happiness. 

MEAT AND ALCOHOL. 

Nature did not intend man to be a meat-eater, a beast of 
prey. 

Man does not relish meat in the raw state without some sort 
of seasoning and preparation. He must, at least have salt with 
his meat. 

The beasts of prey are transported with voluptuous delight 
when they can kill an animal; they become intoxicated with the 
fresh blood. 

But man, when he is not yet entirely brutalized, shrinks from 
killing; his conscience is always aroused when he raises the 



— 164 — 

murderous steel against an animal, his fellow-creature. The 
death-rattle of an expiring animal still moves the most hardened 
man. Most people would not eat. meat if they themselves had 
to kill the animal. The raw, unprepared flesh, the animal corpses 
in the butcher shops, are always a revolting sight. In some 
places, therefore, the law forbids meat being carried about openlv. 

And why will people, in this respect also, turn a deaf ear 
to nature, to instinct, to the sense of taste, smell, hearing, sight, 
to conscience? Is this, also, too simple? Why does man make 
laborious scientific investigations to ascertain whether he belongs 
to the class of carnivora, corpse eaters, or to the class of omniv- 
ora (pig, bear, etc.), to the classes, indeed, which always appear 
to us as vicious and cruel and which we despise? 

It is only another proof of man's morbid desire for knowl- 
edge, if he does not investigate with the simple means nature 
has given him whether meat is suitable food for him, but rather 
studies the teeth and intestines for that purpose, and attempts 
to ascertain the ingredients of meat. 

This latter way to truth is not in accordance with nature and 
must lead astray, especially since through man's unnatural life 
many organs have degenerated, and some have been similar in 
the various creatures from the beginning. 

Several scholars, who certainly are themselves very much 
attached to their roast, have claimed that man was designed for a 
partial meat diet, according to the structure of his teeth, and 
there are many who thoughtlessly repeat this after tbem. 

Nevertheless man is not equipped with claws or fangs, such 
as all beasts of prey possess, to seize and tear their prey. The 
digestive organs of carnivorous animals are likewise quite differ- 
ent from those of man. 

Beasts of prey, for instance the dog, can eat the bones as well 
as the meat. Man cannot do that, which proves that his stomach 
must be arranged very differently from the stomach of these 
animals. 

Let us but compare the eye-teeth of man with those of vege- 
table and fruit-eaters, and those of meat-eaters and omnivora. 



- i6 5 - 

and we can plainly see that man belongs to the vegetable and 
fruit-eaters and not to the beasts of prey. The eye-teeth of 
men have no more similarity to the fangs of omnivorous and 
carnivorous animals, than the mouse has to the elephant. Just 
so the length of the intestines in man does not point to a meat diet. 

But if meat has not been intended for man by nature, it is 
also injurious and harmful to him. Man does not become healthy 
and strong by eating it, but sick and weak. 

It is claimed that man must eat meat on account of the fat 
it contains, which enables him to endure our cold climate. But 
why not acquire the requisite bodily warmth through the fat con- 
tained in the nut ? The nut contains the fat that is natural to man 
and not the many other ingredients so injurious and poisonous 
to man. 

The Eskimo of Greenland, whose country does not yield him 
nuts and vegetables, which could nourish him, also tries to en- 
dure the severe cold of the North by eating meat and animal 
fats. It may be that the animal fat does enable the Eskimo to live 
in the extreme north, but on the other hand, the Eskimo, on 
account of his unnatural food, is an ill-shaped, ugly specimen of 
humanity, and intellectually an idiot. 

People are too apt to excuse their unnatural mode of life, 
their meat and alcohol habit, by reference to the climate. The 
climate is called in to quiet their conscience with regard to their 
great crimes against natural living. A fruit-diet, however, en- 
ables man more than unnatural food to endure heat and cold. 

We cannot suppose that man, the most highly developed 
creature, was destined by nature to occupy only a small part 
of the earth. The Bible, too, says : 

"Replenish the earth." — Gen. I :2<8. 

But it is not necessary that man should deviate from his 
natural food in order to spread ove r the earth. 

Both the hottest part of the tropics and the coldest part of 
the norih, are equally unfitted for the habitation of man. But if 
man should be designed by nature for the warmer parts of the 
earth, they need but begin a natural mode of life again. Their 



— 166 — 

instinct would then reawaken more and more, and following this, 
they would gradually wander back to the warmer regions. In 
reality, however, the intermediate zones are best adapted for 
human beings, as I shall show further on. 

Man, the image of God, who ought to be a gentle, merciful 
ruler upon earth, violates the divine impulses of his heart when 
lie kills, or causes animals to be killed for his food. Man, at 
present,, is continually soiling his hands with the blood of his 
fellow- creatures. This offence in obtaining his food must natur- 
ally be followed by most severe punishment. 

Meat eating is therefore an offence against nature, an un- 
natural practice, which must have exceedingly bad and dangerous 
consequences. Unnatural meat and plant food is not digested by 
the stomach. Thus the meat that has been eaten is not digested, 
but rots in the stomach, and is continually fermenting in the 
body and blood, and causes, more than undigested, unnatural 
vegetable food many inflammatory and disgusting diseases, and 
also most ugly sins and vices. 

Orestes, of Greek mythology fame, whose soul was oppressed 
by a horrible murder, was incessantly pursued and driven by the 
Krinnyes, the avenging furies. The conscience of humanity is 
at present also burdened with murder, and cannot find rest or 
peace upon earth. 

The heating meat, with all the salt and spices that are re- 
quired to make it palatable, always awakens the desire for strong 
drinks, for alcohol. Meat eating, therefore, opens wide the doors 
for that uncanny demon, alcohol. Meat has a foul, vicious 
brother that accompanies it. No one can fail to recognize the 
harmful, dangerous character of alcohol, even in the smallest 
quantities. 

Alcohol excites the nerves, and transports man into a beauti- 
ful illusory world of dreams, which, however, is always followed 
by stale, empty reality, nausea and discontent. Man thinks he 
gets strength from alcohol, but this also is deceptive Artificial 
excitement is the most harmful thing for health. If we are not 
deceived by the momentary effect, we soon realize that the body 



- i6 7 - 

is very much weakened by the alcohol, and that the nerves especi- 
ally are shattered in the most alarming manner. Alcohol, there- 
fore, works the greatest, ruin to mind and soul; vice and crime 
are also among the horrible consequences. 

The man who eats no meat finds himself continually in 'such 
a frame of mind that he is in no need of creating for himself a 
momentary, beautiful, but illusory dream life. 

But if meat is so injurious to body and soul, the question 
presents itself to us whether the Bible and Jesus did not prohibit 
meat eating. Would that religion, the Bible and Jesus again 
played a greater part in our life in every respect! 

Some especially grave mistakes have crept into the old 
translations of the Bible, whereby all its teachings with regard 
to meat-eating are mis-stated and unrecognizable. 

The first law that God gave to man runs thus : 

"Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is 
upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the 
fruit of a tree yielding seed ; to you it shall be for meat." — Gen. 
i 129. 

So we see that in this law man has not been charged to 
eat meat. 

Besides this law, which was written into man's very^soul, 
there was originally no other law given. God the omnipotent 
ruler could rule men by one law. If man had obeyed this first 
law, all the subsequent laws of God,* also the Mosaic law, and 
all the thousands and thousands of laws made by man up to the 
present day, would not have been necessary. 

The first law of God is repeated Gen. 2:16 and 17, while a 
prohibitory law is added, and a punishment threatened: 

r Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou 



*If man had not fallen from nature, had not lived a wrong life, 
the inclination to commit murder, to lie, to be immoral, to steal, etc., 
would never have arisen, and there would have been no need for 
those inner voices to awaken in man, which forbid all these sins 
against God and our fellow-men. 



i68 



shalt not eat of it : for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou 
shalt surely die." 

But what is meant by the tree of the knowledge of "good 
and evil"? 

We can have no conception of a tree of the knowledge of 
good and evil ; a tree cannot know. 

However, the original language of the Bible was poor in 
words: there was but one and the same word for plants (trees) 
which were still rooted firmly to the ground, and plants that in 
consequence of a higher development were separated from the 
ground, i. e., animals. If a distinction was to be made between 
plant and animal some addition had to be made. The vegetable 
and animal kingdom are closely related. Science is at a loss to 
determine the boundary line between plants and the lower ani- 
mals (microscopic animals, corals, polyps, etc.), But at present 
plants are still distinguished from animals in that we designate 
that as an animal which feels and perceives. 

The Bible therefore adds the phrase, "the knowledge of good 
and evil," to designate the animal. In Gen. 2 : 9 the animal is 
also called "tree of life," i.e., a tree (being) which has life. 
It would, therefore, be more correct if the passage in the Bible 
would read : "being of the knowledge of good and evil," and bv 
this being that can know what is the good and evil, harmful and 
useful, that has feeling like man, is meant the animal. The fall 
of w.an, the first sin of man, therefore, consisted in the eating of 
the forbidden food, the flesh of animals* 

In a paradise myth of the Hindoos, the translation of which 



♦There is still another passage in the Old Testament from which 
it can be inferred with certainty that man first sinned solely by 
eating meat. In the beginning men still recognized their sin; they 
fought against it, but again and again became backsliders. Finally 
they tried to justify their sin; yes, they even made themselves be- 
lieve that God had left it free to them to eat meat. 

It would lead me too far to bring all the proofs for this here. 
Besides, I consider it useless, 



— 169 — 

is free from error, the eating of the flesh of animals is dis- 
tinctly prohibited. 

Only those creatures in free nature that eat meat, kill. 
Through a meat diet nature directly instills the desire to murder. 
Now when after the fall of man the first, and for the time being 
the only, bad deed was murder — fratricide; this proves that the 
fall of man consisted in the eating of meat, otherwise the deed 
would be inexplicable. 

Moreover we hear of the skins of animals soon after the 
fall of man. 

"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make 
coats of skins, and clothed them." — Gen. 3:21. 

Where were the skins to come from, if man had not already 
killed animals? The Bible shows how civilized mankind has 
gone astray. In the beginning men lived in a state of 
paradise; thev lived on the fruit which nature yielded spon- 
taneously. The first fall from nature w T as the beginning of the 
chase, and the fall of man was the chase. As a result of the chase 
men ate the flesh of animals and clothed themselves with their 
skins. 

Xow they fell sick, an inner restlessness made itself felt, just 
as the horse that is fed on ripe oat kernels, instead of on its nat- 
ural food (grass), becomes restless, and must be put to hard 
work. Men likewise had to begin to work now, and cleared the 
forests ; the age of agriculture began. 

But in this way agriculture was but a punishment : 

"Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou 
eat of it all the days of thy life; 

"Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; 

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." — Gen. 3 : 
17-19. 

The curse of the Lord lay upon the soil. 

While the earth produced fruit spontaneously, without 
trouble or labor on the part of man, the tiller of the soil to-day 
is suffering from bad harvests, weeds and the like, in spite of 
his hard labor. Care and anxiety are the lot of the farmer. 



— 170 — 

Instead of delicious fruit, man must now eat herbs (lettuce, 
cabbage, leguminous fruit, etc.) from the field. That is his 
punishment. 

"And thou shalt eat the herb of the field." — Gen. 3:18. 

All the products that man laboriously wins from the soil 
in agriculture are, moreover, injurious to his health; they destroy 
his earthly happiness. 

Alter agriculture came grape-culture, and alcohol with its 
disgusting consequences made its appearance: 

"And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a 
vineyard : 

"And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was 
uncovered within his tent. 

"And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his 
father, and told his two brethren without," etc. — Gen. 9 '.20-24. 

Tiien came the trades and the arts. 

"And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructor of every 
artificer in brass and iron." — Gen. 4 '.22. 

The art of building was also introduced. The tower of 
Babel was begun. And row arose the various languages, which 
resulted in the science of language. 

But misery steadily increased, men were plunged more and 
more deeply into error, they continued to fall from nature and 
from God. Disease, sorrow and want, discontent and despair 
became greater. At last the Psalmist laments : 

"The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and 
if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their 
strength labor and sorrow." — Ps. 90:10. 

But ever and anon prophets and voices were heard that 
spoke against the falling away from nature, against meat-eating, 
while at the same time they alluded prophetically to the coming 
of the Saviour. 

Then in darkest night a beautiful morning appeared : it was 
the world's Saviour. 

Christ wanted to atone for the fall of Adam, He wanted to 
lead men back to nature and to God; He also wanted to banish 



— 171 — 

that primeval sin, the eating of meat, from the world, for until 
this was done His glad tidings could not be received by men 

But how could Jesus Himself have eaten meat then? The 
Saviour preached gentleness and mercy above all things, and 
could He have eaten the flesh of animals, which brutalized men, 
defying the voice of conscience and the voice of God within their 
breasts, had mercilessly killed? Jesus would in this case Himself 
have sinned against mercy, and would not have been free from 
guilt. Could Jesus have eaien meat that produces so much dis- 
gusting suffering of body and soul, sins and vices? 

There is also a mistake in the translation of the New Testa- 
ment, that corresponds to the mistake that has been mentioned 
from the Old Testament. In antiquity men tried to propitiate the 
gods for their sin of meat eating by offering an animal in sacri- 
fice. Historians tell us that the Essenes, the sect to which Jesus 
belonged, had no animal sacrifices. For this reason we can safely 
assume that they ate no meat. This is also admitted by theo- 
logians. 

Contrariwise those sects ate no meat who offered no animal 
sacrifices. Jesus and His disciples did not offer sacrifices; He 
even forbade animal sacrifices. 

"I will have mercy and not sacrifice." — Matt. 9:13. 

How then could Jesus eat of the Easter lamb,* the chief 
sacriiice of the Jews? The word in question, correctly trans- 
lated from the text, is Easter meal. In the sense of the Jews, 
with whom the Easter meal always meant the sacrificial lamb, 
this could indeed be translated as Piaster lamb, but with Jesus, 
who even forbade the sacrifice, it never could mean Easter lamb 
A good translation must not only be literally correct, it must 
preserve the sense. 

C. Weizsaecker, who is no vegetarian, has made a trans- 
lation of the New Testament in which many of the old mistakes 



*The following argument turns on the word Osterlamm (Easter 
lamb) used in the German Bible for passover, and loses its force with 
readers of the English Bible.— (Translator.) 



— 172 — 

have been avoided. It has already received recognition, and has 
been introduced into our schools. In this translation of the New 
Testament the word passover is always substituted for Easter 
lamb in the passages in question. 

"Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the pass- 
over?"— Matt. 26:17. 

"Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat." — Luke 
22:8. 

In contrast to the Jews, who ate the bloody lamb, the Saviour 
took bread for His Easter meal, gave thanks, broke it, and gave 
it to His disciples to eat. 

There are still other passages in the Bible according to 
which the Saviour is said to have eaten meat. In various places 
in the New Testament we read that Jesus distributed fish among 
the multitude that followed Him, and that He Himself ate fish 
But it seems rather strange that in the Orient people should have 
taken fish with them upon a journey, when even we in our 
northern climate would not take fish with us on an excursion 
or journey, because fish decays much faster than other meat. 
It is said that the sect to which Jesus belonged had a sort of 
bread baked m the form of a fish. It was called fish, and was 
probably the fish which Jesus distributed and ate of Himself. 
This interpretation and translation is much more probable. 

All the passages that can be found in the New Testament 
to-day approving or advocating the eating of meat are falsified. 
These passages are either spurious, wrongly translated, or 
wrongly interpreted. But it would lead me too far to furnish 
proof in the case of each separate passage. Whoever has grasped 
the spirit of the Bible, especially that of the New Testament, 
knows that Jesus expressly forbade the eating of meat, and above 
all things, that the Saviour did not eat meat. Yes, and if all 
the world had been eating meat until now, Jesus certainly did 
not eat it. 

But I believe that the knowledge of this is of the greatest 
importance, and that it is the best means of salvation. The ser- 
pent was the tempter of man in Paradise. It said ; 



— 173 — 

"Ve shall not surely die: 

''For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then 
your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good 
and evil." — Gen. 3 :4, 5. 

The wily serpent is the cunning of. reason whence science 
was born. Science is still misleading men to-day, just as it did 
in Faradise. It is still teaching that great advantages can be 
gained for body and soul by leaving the paths of nature. 

hi most recent times a great scholar has even asserted that 
through our refined, artificial mode of life, men had developed 
into something higher and would finally become like gods. 

But science is still deceiving and betraying us. Every sober, 
unbiased mind must recognize that men with their unnatural 
mode of life cannot become gods, but must become sick, wretched 
creatures, sinful, wicked, benighted beings, veritable devils. 

We must be most careful, therefore, when the eating of 
meat is recommended to us by science, or on scientific grounds, 
with all sorts of sophistical reasoning and in the face of the law 
of God and of Jesus. In such an emergency we must listen to 
the voices of nature, which here utter an unmistakable warning. 

But what stand did Jesus take with respect to alcohol ? This 
is the next question that presents itself to us. 

Tn the Old Testament we read : 

"Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? 
who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath 
redness of eyes? 

"They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek 
mixed wine.'' — Prov. 23 129, 30. 

"Because he transgresseth bv wine, he is a proud man." — - 
Hab. 2:5. 

"Thou shalt tread sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine." — 
Micah 6:15. 

In Ephesians 5:18 we read: 

"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess." 

We know also that John did not drink wine or anv strong 
drinks. At the last supper Jesus said : 



— m — 

"But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit 
of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my 
Father's kingdom/' — Matt. 26:29. 

"New" means fresh, un fermented. New wine is fresh grape 
juice. From this passage we infer that Jesus, in order not to 
be too strict, and not to harm His cause thereby, may have made 
an exception for once, and have drunk wine (the Saviour was 
always mild and considerate) in order in this way to win people 
over to His side,* but that He always spoke in favor of grape 
juice and against alcohol. 

Jesus wished to extend His career as a teacher of men 
only over several years. It is quite obvious that He did not mean 
the heavenly kingdom beyond when he spoke of His Father's 
kingdom where He would drink unfermented wine with His 
disciples, but He certainly must have meant the community of 
Essenes, who also called themselves God's community. At all 
events the beyond could not have been meant here. Jesus is 
known to have prepared wine at the wedding of Cana. But 
it is very probable that this wine was non-alcoholic, and for 
that reason was so greatly relished by the wedding guests. There 
are to-day still plenty of delicious fruit juices and the like, which 
are really more agreeable to the taste than real wine. 

THE FIRE. 

Solely through the discovery of fire has it been made possible 
for man to stray so far away from nature. 

Only by the aid of fire could man artificially prepare all sorts 
of food, alcohol, medicines, etc. All the contrivances of civilized 



♦Herein particularly does the Saviour show the depth of His 
love and wisdom, that He did not proceed with too great severity 
in respect to food, but mildly. All those who are too strict and 
harsh in their opposition to an unnatural diet do wrong and harm 
their cause much. But it is also probable that in consequence of 
this very mildness of the Saviour, all His prescriptions in respect 
to a natural mode of life have been wiped out in the course of 
time. 



— i75 — 

life, that have brought in their wake diseases and all our present 
misery, have been made possible through fire only. 

Man could not have turned away from nature if he had 
not had fire. 

Fire, therefore, is the real beginning of man's misery. But 
to-day mankind no longer recognizes its enemies; it looks upon 
fire as a benefactor — a friend that has brought us many blessings 
and great welfare. But here, too, the consciousness oi the truth 
has been kept alive in the soul of the nations. Many myths, especi- 
ally Hindoo myths, regarded fire as a sinister, demoniacal ele- 
ment. The devil is represented as belching forth fire. The 
Greek myth of Prometheus tells us most impressively and beauti- 
fully how terribly the gods resented the discovery of fire by 
men, how severely man is punished for it, and how every evil 
has come into the world through fire. 

Prometheus (i.e., He who reflects beforehand) stole the 
fire from heaven in order to make meat palatable to men. God 
Zeus was greatly enraged at this; he chained Prometheus to the 
Caucasus, where the vultures came and ate out his liver. But 
the liver grew again as soon as it was devoured, so that the vul- 
tures continually found new food, and Prometheas new tortures. 
Then also Zeus sent Pandora, a woman equipped with the most 
bewitching gifts by all the gods. Epimetheus, i. e., he who re- 
flects afterwards, received Pandora. But she brought a box 
with her, which she opened, and out came all the evils, except 
deceptive hope, which remained behind in the box. 

One can easily understand how fire to-day still works ter- 
rible mischief to man, such as the myth relates. Tf men had no 
fire with which to prepare meat by cooking and roasting, meat 
would soon not be eaten any more. Then we would no longer 
have all the instruments that are required to catch and kill the 
animals and prepare the meat. T have already mentioned that 
alcohol and medicine can be prepared only by the aid of fire. 
I have certainly proved sufficiently how all serious diseases are 
caused by meat eating, alcohol, and medicine. But it is also 



— 176 — 

clear how diseases and suffering can be caused by cooking the rest 
of our food. 

Animals always remain beautiful and well on raw vegetable 
food, if diseases are not caused in them in other ways, for in- 
stance by bad air. But if the grass, potatoes, turnips, etc., are 
cooked, the animals readily eat greater quantities of the cooked 
food, which, in its artificial preparation, slips down more easily, 
before it is well mixed with saliva, and this is very bad. Stuffing 
now begins, the animals grow stout and fat, ugly, languid and 
lazy; in a word, sick. The farmer always fattens his animals 
for half a year at the most, for although ihey eat still greater 
quantities after that, they no longer increase in weight, but 
even begin to fall off, while all sorts of diseases begin to show 
themselves. The stomach is now completely worn out. by the 
long continued overfeeding; it derives much less benefit for the 
body from the greater quantities of food than formerly from the 
smaller quantities. 

And yet these animals get their natural food, only in a cooked 
condition. If we now consider that the things which men eat 
nowadays are not only not intended for them by nature, but are 
made still more unfit, more indigestible and less nutritious, by 
the process of cooking, we can easily understand how injurious 
and disastrous food artificially prepared by means of fire must be. 

The digestive organs are soon worn out, and foreign matter 
(undigested matter) is formed. This comes to light in various 
ways, in the shape of boils, skin disease, inflammations, fever, and 
all sorts of diseases. Physicians cut, cauterize, rub with salves, 
and prescribe medicines to suppress the symptoms of the disease, 
but the foreign matter continues to grow from the innei seat of 
the trouble, so that the painful labor must always be begun anew 
by the body. By his complete ignorance of the cause of the dis- 
ease, man is chained fast like Prometheus, and must, therefore, 
quietly endure his tortures. 

If we no longer employ fire in preparing our food, we shall 
be obliged to fall back upon our natural food, and physicians will 
then no longer find anything to cut and to cauterize. 



— i77 — 

Warm baths relax the skin and the nervous system, just so 
warm food relaxes the inner,, digestive organs. It would be well, 
therefore, if all food and drink could be taken cold, at the most 
lukewarm, but not hot, as the latter must always be very in- 
jurious. 

If man eats raw fruit he is in no danger of harming his 
body by hot food. He is also in no danger of eating too much, 
while, with the artificial, unnatural foods he must continually 
struggle against this, and is still always eating too much.* 

Consequently, when men no longer cook, they gain the fol- 
lowing advantages : women need no longer ruin their health be- 
fore the cooking stove, the source of poisonous vapors, where 
they acquire their many troubles and diseases; they gain time 
for nobler occupations, can devote themselves more to their chil- 
dren and spend more time in God's beautiful, free nature; they 
need no longer prepare those viands, which for themselves as 
well as for their families are the cause of all diseases, and indeed 
of all unhappiness in the world. All members of the family will 
soon have a finer taste, be able to enjoy their food better, and 
w r ill gain rare vigor and joy of life. 



♦This unnatural life of ours calls out in every way needs, de- 
sires, and cravings, the satisfaction of which, as man clearly per- 
ceives, result in great harm to him. He must therefore continually 
practise abstinence. 

Thou shalt abstain — renounce — refrain! 

Such is the everlasting song 
That in the ears of all men rings, — 

That unrelieved, our .whole life long, 
Each hour, in passing, hoarsely sings. 

— Goethe, "Faust." 

The school, the church, pcetry and all the world are therefore 
continually preaching abstineuce and renunciation, but we are never- 
theless to-day pandering to all our desires. Body, mind and soul 
are again and again injured by the gratification of our morbid de- 
sires. For the healthy man, living a perfectly natural mode of life, 
the complete satisfaction of all his needs, which in this case are 
simply the vcices of nature, is however of the greatest advantage 
to himself. 



- i 7 8 - 

A diet of raw fruit (chiefly nuts) does very much to in- 
crease all the powers of the body, and still more all the original 
higher spiritual capacities and god-like faculties of man. 

When several years ago, during the great, strikes in English 
coal mines, horses that had been kept there, in dark, under- 
ground passages, for from ten to twenty years, were brought up 
from the mines into the daylight, they were frightened, acted as 
if they were insane, and ran back tov/ards the dark, damp holes 
of the mines. Similar to these unhappy horses the woman ap- 
pears to me, who also, apparently, is suddenly brought into too 
much light and sun when, the advantages which will accrue to 
her and hers if she will stop cooking, are presented to her. She, 
too, may quickly retreat into her dark kitchen, to stay there till 
thick soot settles down upon her perspiring face, and she no 
longer resembles that noblest of creatures, which it was God's 
intention to create in woman, but not a blackened stoker before 
a fiery stove. 

Poor Cinderella, when will your prince come to lead you as 
queen to his throne of joy and happiness? 

The drinker is chained to his cup, even if he realizes that 
he will end miserably. The scholar with shriveled body, yellow 
complexion, and bald head, cannot turn his back upon his labor- 
ious studies, although the true joys of life are receding from him 
more and more. Just so woman to-day cannot free herself from 
an unnatural occupation, from the cook-stove, even if ti ue earthly 
happiness would begin for her and hers by so doing. 

Man as originally created by nature, was absolutely beauti- 
ful. Greek art represents the perfectly beautiful woman by 
Venus (Aphrodite). Our women to-day are generally a great 
many degrees removed from this original beauty. But the only 
means of again becoming more beautiful is the natural mode of 
life, for this insures better health, and health is beauty. Do our 
women think they can gain the beauty they desire at the cook- 
stove ? 



— 179 — 

Love woman's being does encompass quite, 
Both prison 'tis and heaven to her soul. 
To humble love resigned, herself she gives, 
And serving, rules withal. 

In free nature we do not find the difference between young 
and old as we do among men. The old animals are always the 
most beautiful, the strongest, and during mating time the happiest. 
Love is a tender flower, it suffers most of all by our unnatural 
mode of life, in the tempests of our present civilization, only 
now and then, in men's younger days, does it brighten up like a 
light that is about to go out. But no plan is more surely 
adapted to smother the soul's noblest impulses, than a smoky 
kitchen. A healthy woman, however, who always remains young 
and beautiful, can lead man — the whole world, by a tender chain. 
Would, therefore, that many women might free themselves from 
the kitchen, and find their way to true, continuous happiness in 
love. 

Primeval man, before his fall from nature, before the fall 
of man, did not have to work to gain his livelihood, still less was 
he driven by inner f estlessness and barrenness to fitful work : 
Not until the forbidden food was eaten did the curse fall upon 
man: 

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." — Gen. 3:18. 

If women only would take to the bath again, and have re- 
course to light and air, then a new joy of life would awaken in 
them again, too, and the desire to seek their conditions of life in 
other spheres than in the dark, smoky kitchen. 

Pandora is our civilization. Civilization to-day also wears 
a brilliant, bewitching dress. Civilization has been made possible 
only through fire, and it still brings us all the evils, just like Pan- 
dora, although we celebrate it greatly. 

We must once more become prejudiced, and unbiased in 
order to recognize the harmful and dangerous character of all 
our present civilized contrivances, all great discoveries and in- 
ventions, be it the art of printing or gunpowder, the railroad or 



i8o 



the bicycle, the telegraph or the telephone. Men are completely 
dazzled to-day, they are looking through spectacles which make 
all the evils appear as blessings. 

They quite overlook all the diseases, all the haste and unrest, 
all the nervousness, all the despair, which all these achievements 
of civilization have in their train. The blessings that are thought 
to have accrued from them are only shams. 

Of course we cannot to-day at once dispense with fire once 
more, and cannot at once banish all unnatural practices from the 
world, we can only gradually return to nature. 

WHEN SHALL WE EAT? 

In all things nature gives her prescriptions accurately, she 
even tells us when to eat. 

In nature everywhere we find that the animals feed chiefly 
in the evening. Every forester knows that game eats but little 
during the day, but towards sunset it begins to eat vigorously. 
To the fodder stations that are arranged for the game in the for- 
est in Winter, when the ground is covered with snow, the animals 
come only in the evening, although they would be just as undis- 
turbed there during the day. 

Beasts of prey eat only in the evening or at night. In the 
menageries, too, the chief feeding time is in the evening. 

Everyone knows, too, that beer and wine taken in the morn- 
ing have a much worse effect than in the evening. The "eye- 
opener" is much more injurious than the "night-cap." The 
many banquets and drinking bouts that people indulge in at 
night could not be indulged in in the morning. After dinner 
one is generally tired, but this is not at all the case after supper. 
The body does not digest food readily in the morning, the 
stomach is more active in the evening and at night. 

The members of Jesus' sect ate very little during the day, ac- 
cording to the intentions of nature, the most serious among them 
did not eat till after sunset (later the anchorites of the first 
Christian communities did likewise). In the evening they as- 
sembled for their chief meal, supper was at the same time a sort 



— 181 — 

of religious service. Jesus also introduced the supper among 
His disciples, and a remnant of this is the holy communion of 
the present Christian Church, just as baptism is a small remnant 
of the regular bath, which Jesus prescribed, and which had the 
significance of a sacred rite to Him.* 

Of course all sorts of subtle reasons are adduced with much 
show of wisdom against supper, although nature has designed it, 
but not one of these reasons is tenable. 

Very little ought to be eaten in the morning. It would be 
best not to eat anything until noon. Fasting until noon, which 
is in accordance with nature, is not at all difficult. At noon it is 
also well to be careful not to eat too much (as little as possible). 
But in the evening one may unhesitatingly partake of a full meal. 

My patients have always claimed that they never experienced 
such unmistakable good results from the treatment as when they 
fasted until noon. In taking a course of treatment, therefore, 
I emphatically recommend fasting until noon. 

If one has not already eaten too much during the day, a 
hearty supper before sleeping causes no distress or disturbance. 
Regularity in one's habits, in diet, and the observance of meal 
times is of importance. 

From such survivals as baptism and the holy communion, 
Christians ought soon to recognize the precepts of Jesus with re- 
gard to water and eating, then the salvation preached by the 
Saviour would also soon be theirs. 

"Awake. O spirit of the first witnesses, 
That stand* as faithful watchers on the tower, 
And ne'er in silence stand, nor night nor day." 

— (v. Bogatzky.) 



♦Indeed, Christians ought not to be satisfied with being solemnly 
baptized once in their lives as children; they ought to bathe every 
day, if possible, and remember that they are thus fulfilling a holy 
commandment of the Saviour and God. Every bath ought in a certain 
sense to be a religious rite. 



— 182 — 

THE NATURAL MODE OF NOURISHMENT, CARE AND 
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 

What a wealth of the sweetest and holiest sensations and 
jovs does nature offer to man through his children ! Children 




Map Showing Location of Butler, N. J. 

are precious jewels that God has entrusted to man. But man 
assumes high duties and great responsibilities in having children, 



- i8 3 - 

and lie must devote especial care to their nourishment, rearing, 
and education. Here, too, nature ought to be our only guide, 
and her demands alone ought to be satisfied. 

The human being is alive before it sees the light of day. 

The woman who is to become a mother ought to realize at 
once that she has holy duties towards a new being, and that she 
has been chosen for a high purpose. During this time she 
ought to withdraw herself from the world of gossip, ill-will and 
envy, hatred and contention, she ought to avoid all excitement 
and restlessness, and abstain from all indulgences and pleasures 
that are exciting to the nerves and moreover disgusting. Instead 
of these she ought to contemplate the nature of God, with its 
calm and peace, and seek her enjoyment in nature. I have suffi- 
ciently described the mode of life, which is also the one a woman 
in this condition should follow. It is most important, too, that 
women should not be so unreasonable in their dress during that 
time. They do not know how heavily they can sin against their 
children even before they are born. 

During the time when the germ of a new human being is 
developing, the slightest influence upon the mother and her mode 
of life is of the greatest importance, a fact which is too much 
overlooked to-day to the greatest misfortune of mankind. How 
many encumber the earth to-day who are weak-minded or com- 
plete idiots, who can find neither rest nor peace, and who end in 
vice and crime. Most of these unhappy people can trace their 
misfortune and misery to pre-natal influences. 

Could this spectacle of so many wretched human beings but 
lead parents to realize what horrible sins they can commit !* 



*I should like to call attention, in this place, to a little book: 
Dr. med. Rosch, "The Chief Cause of Most of the Chronic Diseases, 
Especially of the Permanent Troubles of the Female Sex," which 
certainly gives married people an opportunity to realize what grave 
offences they commit in regard to sexual intercourse. The idea seems 
to prevail to-day that within marriage there need be no restraint 
to sexual intercourse. This is a fatal mistake that must avenge itself 
upon the married couple themselves, and upon their posterity. Soci- 



— 1 84 — 

The woman, who in some measure lives a natural life, need 
not fear the hour of her danger, her confinement. She will be 
delivered with great ease. Should this not be the case, however, 
earth compresses on the abdomen will be of great advantage. 
Light and air are the first requisite in the lying-in chamber. Let 
the windows be open ! 

The new-born child should no longer be washed with warm 
water, it ought rather to be at once given a quick cold bath and 
cleansing, so that the tender life may be strengthened and as- 
sisted. At all events children ought to be bathed and washed 
only in cold water from the beginning, and at all seasons of the 
year; it would be the surest way of guarding against effeminacy 



ety to-day pronounces sentence only on unchastity outside of mar- 
riage. 

Sexual intercourse has but the one high purpose — the propagation 
of the race. Originally man, like every other creature, also followed 
exclusively the voice of nature in this respect. This voice spoke 
very distinctly to him, although only at long intervals. To-day man is 
here, unfortunately, the victim of a bad, morbid desire. The preserva- 
tion of the race is not considered at all; on the contrary, people are 
very much annoyed by the fact that this intercourse does at the 
same time fulfil nature's purpose, which they even try to frustrate. 
How very much has man here placed himself into opposition with 
nature! Within very modern times the American people, too, have 
unfortunately sunk as deeply in this respect as other civilized na- 
tions, who have long been far in advance of the Americans on the 
road to decay. In all newspapers female "remedies" are openly ad- 
vertised without reserve. But nothing is a surer sign that a nation 
is irretrievably on the decline than these universal, terrible offences 
against the highest laws of nature. Now there is no longer any limit to 
licentiousness, with all its disastrous consequences. It must soon 
become apparent how much harm is done in this way. But if people 
will once more begin to lead more natural lives, these offences 
against nature will stop of themselves, or can be successfully com- 
bated. Then also the demands that Dr. Rosch makes, in the little 
book just mentioned (an English translation can be had for 25c, 
postpaid, from B. Lust, 111 E. 59th Street, New York), can certainly 
be fulfilled. But unless they are, all struggle and all attempts in this 
respect will be in vain. 



- i8 5 - 

and sickness from the time of birth. In the very coldest season 
the water should at most be of the temperature of the room. 

All swathing bands must, moreover, be dispensed with, light 
and air must from the beginning have every possible chance to 
penetrate the little body. The child must therefore often be left 
naked, the vital energy will thus be greatly stimulated in the 
young being. 

When to-day a new human being is born, all the aunts and 
cousins are at hand, with teapots and the like, to receive the 
new citizen of the world, to bless him with their teas, and other 
unnatural contrivances, and this is actually kept up with man to 
the very grave. 

But let us show these aunts the door, in order that all human 
unreason and all absurdities may from the start be cleared away 
from the path of our little pilgrim. This is the first great service 
we can do the child to-day. 

When the human infant begins his worldly career, his first 
impulse is towards liberty, light, and air. Instead of these, he 
finds a dark room, with actually foul air, is put into bondage, so 
to speak, by swaddling clothes, and is packed away in thick feather- 
beds, so that he can hardly be expected to have the courage to 
live. If the child is ever taken into the open-air he is wrapped 
up in thick shawls, the baby carriage is so closely covered that 
the air and sun cannot penetrate at all. 

To be sure, when people in the country, for instance, have 
little chickens or geese, they always take them out into the sun- 
shine and are pleased to see how lively they are, and how they 
grow and flourish. The little infant, however, is always deprived 
of the strengthening air and the invigorating sun ; it must not sur- 
prise us, therefore, if the children grow sickly and die. 

The incessant crying of babies, which often quite exhausts 
them, and is such a trial to the parents, is the fault of the parents 
themselves. Give the babies more freedom, take away the press- 
ing bands, place them in the light and air, and see how quiet and 
cheerful they will be and how they will prosper. 

If, in consequence of all the mismanagement, the digestion of 



i86 



the child is very much disturbed, an abdominal compress ought 
to be applied. It may be the water compress of Priessnitz, but 
an earth compress is still more effective. 

With all the inexplicable errors in the treatment of babies, 
which people commit nowadays, it is surprising that still more 
children do not sink into an early grave. This proves that man 
from the beginning is endowed with much more vitality than 
the animal, for the little animal could never stand all the un- 
natural treatment that the human infant must endure, but would 
surely always perish. 

All this mismanagement of the children during the first years 
of their lives harms them, of course, for life. Let us have more 
nature, then, at all events ! 

The mother's milk is the natural food for children to begin 
with. By leading a natural life, as I have described it, during 
pregnancy and also during the time in which she must nurse 
her child, the mother can provide sufficient nourishment for the 
child. It is of course, entirely wrong to think that a woman can 
derive strength and nourishment for her child from eating meat 
and drinking beer and wine, during pregnancy and the time 
when she is nursing her child. On the contrary, her milk supply 
will in that case be less and wholly bad. 

If in consequence of an unnatural mode of life, the mother 
has no nourishment for her child, the best substitute is a healthy 
wet-nurse. Otherwise UNCOOKED cow's milk must be given to 
the child, of course, only from the best and healthiest cows pos- 
sible ; from cows that go to pasture. 

We are afraid to use uncooked milk on account of bacilli, and 
think we can kill and render them harmless by cooking. 

Bacilli, like so many other microscopic animals, are only the 
products of fermentation. When there is foreign matter (dis- 
ease germs) in the body that passes into a state of fermentation, 
bacilli will always form, just as the individual, who does not keep 
his external skin clean, will become the victim of vermin. If 
bacilli get into the body from without, they will not flourish there, 
unless they find a fertile soil, foreign matter. Therefore, if we 



- i3 7 - 

but keep ourselves free from foreign matter, through a natural 
mode of living, we never need to fear bacilli ; on the other hand, 
no precautions (cooking, disinfection, etc.) can protect us 
against them. Where disease matter is present, be it in the body 
or in the milk, the bacilli are even necessary. They are serving 
an important purpose. 

If, by cooking the milk of sick cows, we kill the bacilli, the 
disease matter, which furnishes the soil of the bacilli, and which 
is the really dangerous matter, remains in the milk after all. 

If the body of the child contains foreign matter in sufficient 
quantity, it can in no wise be protected from bacilli; if the con- 
trary is the case, the bacilli can in no wise become dangerous. 
But uncooked milk with bacilli passes into fermentation more 
quickly than cooked milk, and is therefore more quickly digested 
by the stomach. The bacilli even aid digestion. By cooking the 
milk we only render it more indigestible, and therefore more in- 
jurious, so that the child will be retarded in his development. 

The disease matter that may be in the uncooked milk is more 
quickly removed from the stomach again than the disease matter 
in the cooked milk. In cooked milk, moreover, as well as in all 
other cooked foods, all life has been killed. For this reason, too, 
it has no longer any real value for the body, it can no longer im- 
part life and strength. 

The '"pasteurized" and "sterilized" milk is of course just as 
useless and injurious as cooked milk. For that matter, the cook- 
ing pasteurizes and sterilizes the milk also. 

The infant, therefore, ought to be nourished with mother's 
milk or raw cow's milk, until it can eat raw fruit and nuts. 

Oatmeal porridge and other baby foods so frequently recom- 
mended ought to be once for all discarded. It would be even prefer- 
able to give the children some cooked green vegetables and a little 
bread. They begin quite early to like fruit and nuts, which agree 
with them very well indeed. On a fruit diet children develop 
bodily, mentally, and with regard to their disposition and soul in 
such a manner that they are a heartfelt joy to the parents. 

In all our artificial life to-day, in all the hopeless misery, 



— 1 88 







i i if A 








— 1 89 — 

there is still one paradise left, it is the paradise of childhood. But 
let the children keep the fruit, otherwise you will mar their 
paradise,, and deprive them of much joy and pleasure. We can 
also let them eat half-ripe and unriptc fruit without misgiv- 
ings. It is especially beneficial to them. 

Jesus says : 

"Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto 
me." — Matt. 19:14. 

The members of the sect to which Jesus belonged, lived in 
the country as mechanics and agriculturists. The strictest ones 
among them lived even entirely in the open-air, in the desert or on 
the mountains, and many of them again nourished themselves 
entirely from the spontaneous products of the earth. To those 
people, living strictly natural lives, children were often entrusted 
for education. 

Thus John was sent into the desert by his parents, when 
still a child. It is said of him : 

''And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was hi 
the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel." — Luke 1 :8o. 

The Saviour, too, especially wished to gain over the children 
to lead a strict natural life. Yes, if the children would begin to 
lead a truly natural life, it is obvious that they could attain to a 
degree of health and earthly happiness, such as adults cannot al- 
ways hope to reach. I should, therefore, like to charge parents 
most urgently : let the children lead a natural life, guide them 
back to nature ; you will reap the richest, most beautiful blessing 
for it here on earth, and God will reward you for it in heaven. 

It is a well known fact that children who still have more 
of instinct, often rebel against cooked food, while, they are very 
fond of fruit. Nevertheless they are often forced to the unnat- 
ural food by the parents, even with blows. In consequence of this 
the children naturally fall ill, and when they are to take medicine 
they again instinctively rebel against it, but the mother, whose 
heart beats in unbounded love for the sick child, must again force 
herself to severity, although her own heart aches under it. The 
child is made to take the medicine bv force, and even in the 



— 190 — 

days of sickness one does not always shrink from using the rod. 
But now the measure of unnatural treatment is full to overflow- 
ing, the little body of the child succumbs to it, and is soon resting 
in the cool ground. The mother stands at the grave with sore 
and broken heart, but her sadly benighted love can now no 
longer manifest itself for the child's ruin. 

The chief desire of parents to-day is to have their children 
always fat. They are generally not satisfied until the children 
look like fatted pigs or trumpet-blowing cherubs. 

Adults also frequently strive to be corpulent and fat, and to 
weigh much. Even if they don't exactly care to be pot-bellied 
they still seem to think the whole value of man depended on their 
avoirdupois, as that of fattened cattle. 

But this is again altogether contrary to nature and completely 
wrong. 

The animals in free nature (young as well as old) are al- 
ways most beautifully proportioned, they are never bloated or 
thick and fat. 

Man, too, is sound only as long as the body possesses agree- 
able proportions, has no bloated appearance, and is free from 
fat bolsters. A really beautiful form results only from a diet 
chiefly of raw fruit, which is also the only diet that insures 
a normal state of health. Children especially ought there- 
fore to be nourished, and beautiful, and not fat and unsightly, 
Here, too, the Apollo of Belvedere may serve as an example, if 
one wishes to know how a body must look in order to be beautiful 
and sound. 

One of the most dreadful, and fatal errors that mankind has 
ever made itself liable to in its ignorance of nature is vaccination. 

It is proven scientifically and statistically that small-pox has 
been much less prevalent since vaccination has been made com- 
pulsory. But to him who again understands nature this only 
proves how injurious vaccination is. The young body that still 
possesses sufficient vitality to free itself from its inherited foreign 
matter, through the so-called children's diseases, to which small- 
pox belongs, is rendered powerless by the vaccine poison. Its 



— 191 — 

entire development is thus interfered with, and instead of an 
acute disease, which under a natural treatment would have re- 
sulted in the greatest benefit to the body, a destructive, bad 
chronic disease commences. 

Especially when the inoculation is repeated in the twelfth 
year of age it soon becomes plainly apparent that disease in var- 
ious forms is beginning its work, as a direct consequence of vac- 
cination. 

Nobody knows when mankind will be redeemed from this 
horrible error, through which it legally imposes the greatest suf- 
fering, and misfortune upon its own children. 

Scrofula, paralysis, epilepsy, various nervous troubles, and 
other chronic diseases, that are prevailing to-day, are frequently 
the result of vaccination, as I once more wish to emphasize. 

After every inoculation the place ought to be treated with clay 
compresses, which must be frequently repeated for several days. 
The compresses ought to be large enough to extend beyond the 
place of vaccination. The child ought, moreover, to lead a 
strictly natural life during that time. In this way no harm what- 
ever need be feared from vaccination. 

If no pustules appear on the spot, after inoculation, the law 
requires that the child be vaccinated again, whereupon the above 
treatment must be repeated. The law does not call for more 
than three vaccinations, however. 

I suppose it is not necessary to warn against anti-toxine in 
particular, which also is nothing "but a dreadful inoculating 
poison. It may be that diphtheria may be subdued with it, but 
diseases that are a great deal worse — cancer, insanity and the 
like — may originate in consequence of this procedure. 

Diphtheria, like every other acute disease, can also be cured 
easily and surely by the natural method, without ruining the 
child. Parents need no longer fear this present angel of death 
in the least, and need not in their anxiety have recourse to 
that horrible poison called anti-toxine. 

All children's diseases are favorable healing crises, and there 
is no need of anxiety on account of them. In every disease (diph- 



— ig2 — 

theria, measles, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, etc.) the child must, 
in the first place he made to lie or walk ahout naked in the room 
with open windows. The longer this can be done the better. 
The best thing, of course, would be for the child to walk about 
naked in the open air, if that were possible. The water-bath 
must also be taken, and earth compresses on the abdomen ; in 
the case of diphtheria around the throat. Moreover the sick 
child ought not to be allowed to eat anything, or only very little, 
and only nuts and fruit. As soon as it is at all possible the 
child is to be allowed to go out of doors again (if possible bare- 
footed). It will be surprising to see how quickly children's dis- 
eases can be cured, and how bright and lively the children are 
after it. By the acute diseases the young body frees itself from 
much foreign matter and refuse. 

By our many anti-natural practices to-day (wrong nourish- 
ment, living in unhealthy, stuffy rooms, absurd clothing, etc.) 
children are made exceedingly delicate. Even from the demon 
alcohol they are not always protected. The boys in the high 
schools early try to imitate the vices of the adults. They even 
try to boast of their beer drinking, cigar smoking, etc. A better 
example on the part of adults, especially teachers, could do an 
infinite amount of good here. 

In consequence of effemination and all sorts of unnatural 
habits, and through the unreasonable demands of our present 
school education, from which all good is expected to come, the 
nerves of our children are at an early age overstrained and weak- 
ened. Thus all sorts of sensual desires are early aroused in 
the children, which they have not the power to resist. The most 
dangerous enemy of youth, self-abuse, shows itself. Watchful 
parents can soon discover from the shy demeanor of the poor 
child, who often struggles against his vice with bitter self-re- 
proach and great suffering that he has fallen a prey to this worst 
enemy of youth. Parents ought never to punish in such a case. 
The mental and spiritual development and perfection of the 
children must be brought about in quite a different way than 
by all sorts of force and punishments. Punishment, especially 



— *93 — 

corporal punishment, ought never to be resorted to. But it is 
an especially mistaken policy to attempt to cure a child of youth- 
ful vice bv severe punishment. At such a time the child is in 
especial need of love. Let the parents lovingly and gently treat 
the child with the remedies of nature, water, light, air, diet, ex- 
ercise, etc., and soon he will be rescued from the clutches of the 
dangerous enemy, and be once more bright and cheerful. 

If this is not the case, the children grow up deprived of all 
the joy and pleasure of youth ; life itself becomes a burden, and 
the otherwise so cheerful boys and girls become weakened, ener- 
vated, cross and pessimistic youths and men, maidens and women, 
whose dull eyes look sadly into a world of torture and pain. 

The habit of wetting the bed, so frequently found among 
children, may also easily be overcome by a natural treatment. 
Here, too, punishment is actually a crime. 

Once more I wish to recommend going barefooted, especially 
for children, and once more would I call attention to their cloth- 
ing, which must be as simple and natural as possible. Boys 
(also men) ought, among other things, to dispense with the vest, 
this intermediate article of clothing intended to give extra warmth 
to the chest. The chest especially ought to be very accessible to 
the air, and ought to be left as free as possible. In children's 
clothing this may be easily arranged. 

I have had the opportunity to convince myself repeatedly 
how young people, who permanently led a natural life, became 
mentally capable to a remarkable degree. Such boys, who had 
been considered backward pupils, soon began to learn with ease, 
and to outstrip their companions without taking any pains to do 
so. 

Also physical strains and hardships, such as our present 
military service demands, could be borne by these young people 
with remarkable ease. In this respect, too, they greatly dis- 
tinguished themselves. 

1 have repeatedly called attention to the. fact that the natural 
mode of life lias a very great ennobling influence upon the soul : 
this, too, may be observed in children. Yes, the natural mode of 

A4 



— 194 — 

life is the foundation upon which alone we can build up a true 
morality and nobility of soul. Therefore in leading a natural life 
we should strive with all our power towards soul perfection, and 
make this an object in the education of our children. 

What, then, is a natural education of children? 

Man is originally the image of God, the highest essence of 
love. Education, therefore, if it is to proceed in the spirit of 
nature, must strive to restore this image of God as much as 
possible. 

Jesus says : 

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and 
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." — Matt. 22 137, 

39- 

These words alone contain the true, natural education of 
man. All the innumerable volumes that have ever been written 
011 pedagogy, all the endless lectures that have been delivered 
on this important subject, do not come near saying what the 
above short words of Jesus contain. One is determined to-day 
to educate youth through science, but it is as the apostle says: 

"Knowledge pufleth up, but charity edifieth." — 1 Cor. 8:1. 

The boy, who has with great difficulty learned his first Latin 
vocabulary, already looks with pride upon his playfellow, who goes 
to a lower grade school, and soon drops him. Thus the more the 
boy advances in knowledge, the more is he led by conceit and 
pride, which is most disastrous. But we must always discrimin- 
ate between the external hollow sham, which our present artificial 
education mostly produces, and the inner worth of man. Our 
youth of to-day is drilled, they are taught all kinds of external 
fine forms and manners, but the heart and disposition are not 
developed. The soul, instead of being ennobled, retrogrades. 
The vulgar, uneducated children, whose life is an unnatural one, 
by no means deport themselves in an exemplary way, but their 
unrefined, coarse demeanor is nevertheless better than politeness 
and friendliness that are not heartfelt. The latter is fraud and 
deception. Therefore children ought to lead natural lives ; it will 



— 195 — 

again teach them the love of God and of man, and love alone 
makes us better. We ought to train them to truly love their 
fellows, for conversely we may say : Who loves his neighbor as 
himself loves also God. Young people must learn to love God, 
and bear only goodwill and friendliness in their hearts towards 
their fellow-men, and manifest it to all alike, irrespective of 
rank. Parents in whose heart this divine spark is not yet quite 
extinguished, or where it has been revived, will themselves find 
ways and means to call out and cultivate love in their children. 
In this way alone can true education and true virtue be achieved 
that will result in blessings to the child and be his only salvation 
throughout life. Only by a natural mode of life and true love of 
his fellows is the child brought to the threshold of a life full of 
joy and happiness, which will stay by him under all circum- 
stances. 

Sorrow and want can never reach such a child throughout 
life. 

Many parents to-day think that happiness for their children- 
is to be found only in a higher school education. This is a 
source of great anxiety to them : all considerations of health are 
pushed into the background, and thus they provide only for the 
misery of their children. But they would so much like to see 
their children occupv high positions and draw large salaries, 
surrounded by splendor and dignity. 

Do not allow yourselves to be deceived by the splendor 
which often but surrounds inner discontent and wretchedness. 
Only lie is happy who, in the full possession of health, lives in 
great simplicity, and with few wants, close to nature — a free 
man with love of man and trust in God in his heart. 

The child that is continually overburdened with mental 
strain and work, and is enervated thereby, looks forward to a 
life of sickness and satiety, hard struggles and bitter disappoint- 
ments, even if there are prospects of high positions, honor, fame 
and riches. Our present mental overburdening of girls is still 
less comprehensible and more useless than that of boys. Girls' 
and women's nature is least fitted to bear up against mental work. 



— 196 — 

Parents who have realized that happiness is not enthroned 
upon the heights of human society, but that it is to be found in 
the first place in the breast of every individual, and then especi- 
ally in the lower, peaceful circles, will take this into consideration 
in choosing a calling - for their children. 

It may indeed be a difficult task to-day for many to choose 
the real joys and true treasures of nature for their children, 
in place of the deceptive pleasures, and blessings of civilization, 
of science and of riches. 

But parents who have penetrated to correct conceptions, and 
are not led by pride, but are independent of the general mistaken 
views, and can think for themselves, will be sure to limit the 
school education of their children to that which is most necessary 
under present conditions. Let them but think, in matters of 
school education : The less the better, and they will surely find 
the right calling for the child. 

Fruit culture, and many a little trade and business will in 
future afford opportunity for the most beautiful, most indepen- 
dent, and most wholesome lives. One need then no longer hope 
to find salvation in a scientific, school education, but in the undis- 
turbed health of body and soul resulting from a natural mode 
of life, and the love of God and his fellow-men. 

This is the true philosophy of life ; let us begin to practise 
it on ourselves, and especially on our children, then our present 
nervousness, the disease of the century, will soon disappear, and 
make room for a new happiness of mankind. 

In consequence of various hereditary weaknesses children 
to-day are different from birth in bodv, mind and soul. If par- 
ents should attempt to train them by force to that which they 
desire to make of them, the result would chiefly be disastrous 
and bad. 

Let parents take their children as they are given them by 
nature, care for and educate them in the natural way I have 
described, and gratefully accept the result. 

Let nature have her way, therefore, even in the education 
of children. This is a very important principle in education. 



— i 9 7 - 
CASES AND CURES. 

Reports of cures, letters of thanks, etc., have no value in 
themselves. 

We know that sham cures can be achieved by unnatural 
means. A disease is apparently cured ; that is, it disappears, and 
another much worse disease is produced. The second disease 
need, of course, not show itself at once, and it may even not 
seem to be as bad, according to our present conceptions, as the 
first; in fact, however, it is always much more dangerous and 
destructive. Many invalids, especially of the nervous type, re- 
experience an improvement, and think themselves cured, and write 
letters of thanks, and reports of their happy cure, until in the 
course of time comes disillusion and bitter, painful disappoint- 
ment. 

If we consider, moreover, how frauds are often practised 
in order to obtain favorable reports of cures, we can easily 
understand how the greatest swindlers in secret and patent rem- 
edies may produce a great, many brilliant reports of cures. 

The people must, therefore, acquire sufficient penetration to 
judge in how far any system or method of curing coincides with 
the requirements and laws of nature; for any system or method 
of curing the sick that in its applications follows nature in every 
detail, must always and in every case lead to health. This holds 
true whatever symptoms may appear in the course of the cure, 
and however inexplicable they may seem to misguided men of 
to-day. 

I should like to see my method receive the confidence of 
the people because it satisfies, in every respect, the requirements 
of nature. For no other reason do I bespeak confidence in my 
cause. I shall therefore not communicate many of the letters of 
thanks that T am daily receiving, nor report many brilliant cures. 
1 shall only relate a few successes that have been achieved 
through my method, especially at the Jungborn, by way of prac- 
tical elucidation of my theories. In doing so I shall add some 
reflections that may still seem necessary. 



INFLAMMATORY RHEUflATISM. 

J, R. at B. was suffering from inflammatory rheumatism. 
The case was a difficult one, since R. had had an attack of in- 
flammatory rheumatism only half a year previous to this one 
(this, therefore, being a relapse), and was badly poisoned with 
nicotine. The patient was suffering excruciating pains ; the 
limbs, especially the hands, were twisted and bent. The parish 
physician was of the opinion that the case would be of long 
duration, and was about to send the patient to the hospital. The 
physician had warned especially against exposure to the air. R. 
was now taken to a light-and-air cottage. It was in the month 
of May, and a medium temperature prevailed. The patient was 
at once stripped entirely, and placed for a time on the bare 
ground. He was thus taking a light-and-air bath. He also re- 
ceived the natural bath in the open-air. The light-and-air baths 
and sun baths were frequently repeated during the day, and a 
water bath in the open air was taken daily. After each of these 
procedures comfortable warmth was restored by a warm bed, 
consisting of soft woollen blankets, which soon resulted in copi- 
ous sweat. The diet consisted of nuts, almonds, fruit, tropical 
fruit, raw milk, butter, a little bread. 

With this treatment R.'s pains subsided during the first 
day, on the second day his limbs straightened out, on the fifth 
day he could, already take a walk, and on the ninth day he could 
again go about his vocation. 

After a fortnight R. took the reckless and inexcusable step 
of returning to his old habits of life, to meat eating, alcohol 
drinking, and tobacco smoking. But nevertheless his sickness 
did not return. 

SERIOUS NERVOUS DISEASES. 

A. S. at B. suffered greatly from nervous disorders for nine 
years. Finally he became entirely incapacitated for work, and 
became subject to spasms, during which he would fall to the 
ground. The disease drove the patient to despair. He had re- 



— 199 — 

ceived some relief at a nature-cure institution, which, however, 
was not permanent. After a few weeks of my treatment, a most 
decided improvement was already apparent. Remedies: Light- 
and-air baths (going naked), often all day long in warm weather, 
the bath, earth power. Diet : Nuts, fruit, tropical fruit, milk, 
butter, a little bread. Until noon S. ate nothing at all. The 
patient became especiallv enthusiastic about sleeping on the bare 
ground. After just ten weeks of treatment S. was remarkably 
fresh, and full of energy for work. But it was his opinion that 
this great result, after his long, vain search for relief, was due 
to his utilizing the power of the earth during sleep. S. declared 
that he had never in his life felt so strong and fresh as since 
he had taken the natural treatment under my care. With great 
enthusiasm and devotion he continued the treatment at home, as 
far as possible : the bath, fruit diet, fasting until noon, sleeping 
with open windows, light-and-air baths in the room. He was 
inconsolable because he no longer had an opportunity for sleep- 
ing on the bare ground. 

SERIOUS TROUBLE IN THE HEAD AND DEAFNESS. 

W. P. at H. The patient had fallen from a scaffolding, 
striking on the head. It was evident that W. P. was well charged 
with foreign matter, which now found its way to the injured 
head, causing a serious diseased condition there. P. was entirely 
incapacitated from work. He had already been deaf upon one 
ear since his childhood. The ear had been operated on, and P. 
was under the impression that the drum had been cut out. More- 
over P. could not distinguish anything with one eye, although he 
could see; everything was indistinct and double. P.'s head 
trouble had been pronounced incurable by the medical faculty in 
G. A course of treatment lasting eight weeks, in one of the 
best nature-cure institutions, had also been without result. He 
came to me and remained under treatment for eight weeks. After 
a fortnight a most decided improvement began to set in, and 
P. was overjoyed in marking his continued progress. The fear of 



200 



taking cold, of which the patient was greatly possessed, was soon 
overcome. 

P. had only hoped to cure his head trouble, and was greatly 
surprised when, during the last two weeks of his cure, he could 
again hear with the ear that had been deaf. He had not expected 
to have his hearing restored ; indeed, he had thought it quite im- 
possible. P. continued the treatment at home, took the bath, 
observed the diet, and part of the time also slept in a summer- 
house in a garden, situated outside of the city. 

He wrote to me : "I need hardly describe to you how much 
my health has improved during the last six months. I have been 
made happv — more than happy — by this new method of healing." 
Later on I heard that even his eye was better. 

The remedies in P.'s case were likewise: the bath, going 
bare-footed, the light-and-air bath (in warm weather and sun- 
shine often all day long). The patient was very enthusiastic 
about sleeping outside of the light-and-air cottage under the 
sky (in good weather). 

Diet: Nuts, fruit, tropical fruit, milk, a little bread and 
butter. 

P. had already been a vegetarian for about a year before 
coming to me, living on leguminous seeds, potatoes, bread, and 
only some raw fruit. But it was with the greatest difficulty that 
his family could keep him to this diet. 

But it can easily be explained why patients do not like to 
adhere to this form of nourishment, for after the first relief ex- 
perienced from the change, the general health is apt to become 
even worse in the course of time. 

After P. had lived for a short time on the natural diet 
which T recommended to him, he became so enthusiastic about it 
that he energetically set to work to win his family over to it, and 
successfully. 

With almost all my patients I have made the experience 
that they willingly and enthusiastically adhered to the natural 
diet, which is so very simple and requires so little work of pre- 
paration, 



201 — ' 

In the beginning of the treatment P.'s appetite increased 
enormously so that it could hardly he satisfied, but this soon sub- 
sided. 

BAD STOMACH TROUBLE AND CONSUjTIPTION OF THE 
SPINAL CORD. 

S. von N, at St. P., aged forty-two years, suffered for 
several vears from a very bad stomach trouble and consumption 
of the spinal cord. Several professors had diagnosed cancer of 
the stomach, and consumption of the spinal cord could be recog- 
nized from the way he threw his legs m walking. When the 
patient came to the Jungborn he was almost unable to eat any- 
thing. 

He vomited some forty times during the night. He was 
placed in a light-and-air cottage at the Jungborn. A compress 
of wet earth on the abdomen at once put a stop to the vomiting ; 
when the compress was taken away the vomiting began anew. 
This plainly showed the effectivenesss of the earth. Sometimes 
the patient took the natural bath; as soon as he was able he fre- 
quently took a light-and-air bath. 

When v. N. had been the Jungborn for ten days he had no 
more vomiting spells, even after the earth compress was discon- 
tinued. From that time on the patient began to improve re- 
markablv. His appetite was excellent, and he could satisfy it 
on the fruit diet without hesitation. There was not the least dis- 
tress after eating. The consumption of the spinal cord also be- 
gan to sret well. 



RETENTION OF THE URINE, INCIPIENT DROPSY. 

L. G., at M., thirty-three years of age. The patient had 
been seriously ill for two years, so that he was obliged to give 
up his occupation on account of his condition. He suffered 
with retention of the urine (incipient dropsy), accompanied with 
complete derangement of his digestive functions. He could no 
longer urinate except by artificial means, his legs already began 



202 



to swell. The- patient claims to have consulted seventy ( !) 
medical men during the two years of his sickness, among them 
some twenty ( !) distinguished professors. Besides this he had 
used many other cures, the Warner Safe Cure, the Gluenicke 
Cure, sea baths and the like, and also had experienced the illus- 
ive successes of such unnatural cures, but in reality his illness 
increased continually. He was dangerously ill and almost para- 
lized-with fear of death, when he came to the Jungborn in the 
middle of September. The urine was already seeking new outlets 
through canals that could be recognized externally. In several 
places on the legs below the knees it was flowing as a malodor- 
ous liquid from open wounds. The great danger of this con- 
dition was at once clear to me. G. was immediately taken to a 
light-and-air cottage at the Jungborn, so that the purest air could 
have free access to him. Then compresses of moist earth were 
put on the abdomen and the region of the kidneys. These com- 
presses were frequently renewed. Sometimes the patient had to 
come out of his light-and-air cottage to take a light-and-air bath 
(go naked) outside, especially since he could soon again walk 
alone without aid. He allowed the earth-power to act upon him 
as much as possible.. The water bath was not employed so 
much in this case. In the beginning the patient received only 
raw fruit (nuts, fruit, berries), later on raw milk, butter and 
bread was added. 

With this treatment nearly two quarts of urine passed off 
in the natural way as early as the second day, and there was a 
normal movement of the bowels at the same time. On the third 
day G. could walk again, on the fourth he could run. In the 
second week the wounds on the legs were healed, and G. could 
then already make rapid walking tours into the mountains, last- 
ing from three to four hours. 

This rapid, incredible success caused great excitement at the 
Jungborn. G. left us after two weeks without a trace of his 
former severe suffering about him. 

I must here call attention to the fact that this brilliant sue- 



— 203 — 

cess was achieved at the end of September in the cooler season, 
otherwise the result would have not been so rapid. 

A HIGH DEGREE OF NERVOUSNESS. 

R. in W. suffered from nervousness in such a high degree 
that he had completely given up his occupation since six months. 
At night, especially.. R. was entirely without sleep and restless, al- 
most raving. He took chiefly light-and-air baths. On the fifth 
day, after a light-and-air bath, on a very cold, rainy day in April, 
he became quiet. He continued to improve rapidly, and was 
soon restored to his profession. For the rest R's treatments fol- 
lowed the usual regime. But the rapid result was achieved by 
the cold light-and-air baths. 

In nervous troubles especially cold light-and-air baths are 
most effective. 

PNEUHONIA. 

L. in B. was ill with pneumonia, and had for six weeks, dur- 
ing which he was treated with medicines, been suffering great 
pain. Of course, L. had been anxiously confined in a room until 
his arrival at the Jungborn. After I had talked his fear of catch- 
ing a deadly cold out of him, he at once, after his arrival, went 
about naked for hours. On the evening of the first day L. was 
already quite happy. In his opinion he had gained more in one 
afternoon, by the simplest means, than six weeks of vain en- 
deavor had done for him. L. continued the treatments only for 
a few days, and was then cured and very happy. 

Here we see how easily and rapidly success is achieved in 
acute diseases. 

DISTURBANCE OF THE DIGESTIVE FUNCTIONS. 

Miss L. in B. suffered for years from severe disturbances of 
the digestive functions. A movement of the bowels could only be 
brought about by artificial means. On a diet of raw fruit and 
the rest of the treatments (light-and-air baths, going barefooted, 



— 204 — 

etc.) regular movements of the bowels set in on the fifth day. 
This, of course, brought great relief and a feeling of great com- 
fort. 

This stubborn and dangerous trouble that afflicts so many 
women to-day, and brings so much intense suffering and misery 
in its train, can be cured so easily and surely. 

DROPSY. 

A. Z. in B. was afflicted with dropsy and had been pro- 
nounced incurable by the physician. At the Jungborn Z. at once 
began to take light-and-air baths diligently. The swollen places, 
especially the abdomen and legs, were treated with earth com- 
presses. Of course Z. also lived in a light-and-air cottage at the 
Jungborn, in which as many windows, etc., as possible had to re- 
main open at night. Z. was also obliged to keep a very strict 
natural diet. In this way a striking result was already achieved 
in the first week. 

O. at H. took treatment for dropsy at the Jungborn during 
only twelve, days. The success, however, was so great that upon 
his return home his physician was greatly surprised. 

But in such severe diseases, we ought never to rest satisfied 
with a course of treatment of such short duration. O. scarcely 
paid any more attention to his dangerous disease after his return 
home, for which, of course, he soon had to suffer severely. 

THROAT TROUBLE. 

K., teacher in R., was afflicted with throat trouble for years, 
and had been treated without result until he came to the Jung- 
born. Earth compresses around the throat in connection with 
the rest of the treatments soon effected a cure. 

SCAB ON THE HEAD. 

Paula P. at E., a child, suffered from a thick scab on her 
head, By a fruit diet, light-and-air baths, etc., care was taken to 



— 205 — 

cleanse the body within from foreign matter. The head was 
covered with moist earth, directly on the scab, which seemed to 
be very agreeable to the child. After four weeks the scab had 
disappeared. 

CONSUflPTION OF THE SPINAL CORD. 

R. K. at B. had consumption of the spinal cord and spent 
fourteen weeks in vain at a large and celebrated nature-cure 
institution. At the Tungborn K, was very much strengthened by 
light-and-air baths. The legs were treated with earth com- 
presses. Already after a few days a marked improvement could 
be observed. After fourteen days K. could again walk for 
hours. The throwing of the legs in walking disappeared more 
and more, so that after this time the disease could hardly be 
recognized any more externally. 

We have seen repeatedly that even the diseases, which are 
generally considered incurable by science, have lost all their terrors 
before a truly natural treatment. 

TOOTHACHE. 

O. P. in L, suffered from the most excruciating toothache for 
weeks. P. was actually writhing in pain. Various dentists 
could not help him by filling the teeth and applying their danger- 
ous pain-killing remedies. Then P. applied earth compresses to 
the place on the cheek where the pain was most severe. After 
continuing these for several days the pains disappeared entirely 
and P. was very much surprised to be delivered from his tortures 
in so simple a way, and regretted that he had formerly, in similar 
cases, allowed dentists to ruin his teeth still more. Several 
years have passed since this time. Although P. had formerly 
often suffered from toothache, he has never been troubled since 
that time. Earth, therefore, does not quiet pain temporarily, it 
does not deceive, it cures thoroughly, it takes away the cause of 
the pain. 



— 206 — 

TUBERCULOSIS OF THE BONES. 

G. R. in E. suffered from tuberculosis of the bones of the 
foot. He had been in the hospital for half a year. The foot 
had already been operated on twice and a bone had been re- 
moved from the instep. But the foot could not be healed, and 
before long R. would have lost his foot or leg by amputation. 
At the Jungborn the loam compress, in connection with air, fruit 
diet, etc., here again did excellent service. 

I particularly regretted the operation in the case of this 
strong, young man. All the pains and anxieties that it caused 
were unnecessary, and the foot would have healed much better 
and quicker without it. The bone that had been taken from the 
foot could, of course, not be replaced : but the foot was healed, 
nevertheless, and once more was fit for use, although R. limped 
somewhat. 

TYPHOID FEVER. 

Anna G., a child in K., aged ten years, was taken with 
typhoid fever. The mother asked my advice by letter. I wrote 
her that she must in the first place let the child go about naked 
in the room by open windows, as often and as long as possible ; 
moreover, that she must give the child nothing to eat, or but 
very little, and that she must let it take the natural bath perhaps 
once a day. In this way the child was completely cured from 
typhoid fever in from two to three days. Naturally the mother 
undertook this simple treatment without the knowledge of the 
physician. The latter was therefore very much surprised to find 
the child cured in a very few days, from this dreaded and danger- 
ous fever. He then tried to gloss over his surprise by saying that 
he must have been mistaken, and that the sickness could not have 
been typhoid fever, while before he had made the statement that 
the spots that appeared on the skin of the child, plainly indicated 
typhoid fever. 

With our simple, natural method we may indeed often sur- 
prise and embarrass physicians. 



20J 

The mother and little Anna then came to see me at the 
Jungboni and told me how much brighter and healthier the child 
was since she had had the fever. Of this we all had the oppor- 
tunity to convince ourselves at the Jungborn, for we were all 
greatly pleased with the bright, cheerful child. But if the mother 
had been completely self-possessed and clear from the beginning, 
and could have treated the child correctly when the very first 
signs of the disease appeared, the typhoid fever would not have 
developed at all, and the child would have been cured in several 
hours. The disease matter would then have been thrown off in 
another and easier way. 

Would that mothers could but realize that they need not, in 
cases of sickness, live in dread anxiety for their children, their 
precious jewels. I can confidently assure all mothers that it is 
always an easy matter to avoid a serious illness for their children, 
or, indeed, death. The best thing for mothers to do is of course 
to protect their darlings from disease by a natural mode of life. 

GENERAL DEBILITY. 

Miss A. O. at E. was very weak in consequence of nervous 
disorders, and was especially afflicted with a sense of fullness in 
the head. She could walk but little. After Miss O. had taken 
treatment at the Jungborn for a fortnight she could already take 
a walking tour of eleven hours' duration in one day, without be- 
ing even tired. This certainly proves that a fruit diet, light- 
and-air baths, etc., produce great strength. It is the common be- 
lief to-day that men grow strong on a meat diet, but here we see 
again that Miss O. had become very weak and sick on a so-called 
nourishing meat diet, and on a fruit diet became well rapidly and 
physically capable. 

CONVULSIONS. 

Mrs. G. at B. was taken with convulsions; when a clay com- 
press was placed on her neck she at once regained consciousness. 
Here we see how the clay compress can always be of the great- 
est use in dailv life. 



— 208 — 

FISTULA OF THE RECTUfl. 

J. Z. at J. was afflicted with a fistula of the rectum and had 
already been operated on when he came to the Jungborn. Z.'s 
condition seemed to me critical. He always was obliged to carry 
a rubber pillow with him in order to be able to sit at all. I had 
myself given up hope in this case, since I could not reach the sick 
part directly with the clay compress, or bring any external in- 
fluence to bear on it. But Z. was cured after all. I will here 
cite some passages from a happy letter that I received from him. 
May the high praise that Z. gives to the Jungborn be placed to 
the credit of the cause. 

"To-day I can say that I am entirely well. I can go about 
my work again as usual, and whom must I thank for this ? Only 
the Jungborn with its beautiful divine nature. The baths, the 
earth compresses, everything agreed so well with me. I could 
only remain at the Jungborn for a short time, but want to advise 
every sufferer to go to the Jungborn, one can be sure to attain 
what one wishes there, namely health; I am thoroughly convinced 
of it. The Jungborn is the very best health resort, this mode of 
living and this eating was a princely repast for me. The Jung- 
born will never be forgotten by me. I wish I could have stayed 
there only a little while longer, it would have given me the great- 
est pleasure." 

From Z's lines one can see that a nature-cure, diet, etc., as it 
is most thoroughly practised at the Jungborn, can by no means 
be called ascetecism, coupled with deprivations, denials, etc. On 
the contrary, the true joy of life is to be found only in a natural 
life. 

The case of Z. has again taught me that one ought not to 
despair even in the most serious cases of sickness, but ought al- 
ways to try a nature cure. In the most desperate cases brilliant 
cures are often still achieved. 

BLINDNESS. 

W. S., brewer at F. ? had been entirely blind in one eye for 



— 2og — 

some time. •Medical art had tried all its skill in vain. At the 
Jungborn S. could already see a little after a few days ; after 
several weeks the eye was perfectly well. ''The blind receive 
their sight, and the lame walk." The clay compress worked 
wonders with the eye also, as so often before. When S. came 
home his physician was much embarrassed by this success. But 
S. was so enthusiastic about the matter that he at once had every 
arrangement made in his garden so as to be able to continue the 
mode of life and the treatments as much as possible. 

CHOLERA INFANTUM. 

Willy K. in T., aged two and a half years, was taken with 
cholera infantum. The fever rose to 91 degrees F. The mother, 
who was acquainted with the old method of nature-cure, gave the 
child two baths in the course of the day. This reduced the fever 
somewhat, but it soon rose again. The next day the father of 
the child, who knew of my simpler and surer method, came home. 
He held the child naked in his arms at the open window for an 
hour and a half, whereby the fever was reduced $y 2 degrees F., 
Xext day the temperature again rose 1 degree F., but sank as soon 
as the child had another light-and-air bath. Now the fever did 
not return any more, and the child was entirely well, that is, 
cured. 

Mothers have been sorely alarmed, time and time again, as 
their children were taken with cholera infantum. How much ex- 
citement and anxiety was caused by sending post haste to the 
doctor and to the apothecary, how much harm was done to the 
little body by the medicines, and how often did the little being 
find an early grave ! What a bother are the packs, steam baths, 
etc.. of the old nature-cure method, where the cure is not achieved 
till after several weeks, often weeks full of pain, and often with 
all manner of painful consequences. With my method we can 
calmly look the enemy in the face, and know no fear, because we 
are led by the hand of nature who will never desert us. A few 
light-and-air baths, which require no apparatus, no blankets, etc., 



210 



and which cost nothing, and in a few days our child is well again, 
and skips about with more than usual cheerfulness and spirit, 
May this example help us to realize how easily we can get the 
better of acute children's diseases, and avoid all anxiety. Why 
should we then still fear acute diseases? But we must again 
learn to understand simple nature, then we will also take the 
proper precautions to make our children well and keep them 
so. 

DISEASE OF THE SEXUAL ORGANS. 

H. F., student at N., suffered for years from nervous weak- 
ness. A sense of fullness in the head almost incapacitated him 
for work, so that he became tired of life, and often thought of 
committing suicide. Physicians had diagnosed the case in most 
contradictory ways, and all found different causes for the 
trouble. For about three months F. had taken Kneipp treat- 
ments, which improved his condition somewhat, but did not re- 
sult in a cure. When he began to try my method there soon 
was a change. After a fortnight of treatment, gonorrhoea set in. 
F. now told me that he had had sexual intercourse with a girl 
some years ago, shortly afterwards he had experienced pains in 
the sexual organs, for which he had used a salve that a professor 
prescribed for him. 

At the Jungborn the gonorrhoea was soon cured, and with it 
disappeared the nervous trouble, while his ability to work and his 
interest in life returned. 

H., a student at H., was likewise taken with gonorrhoea after 
eight days' treatment at the Jungborn. He had had this malady 
once before, but it had disappeared again, although he had not 
used any remedies for it. Neither had it reappeared during 
two long courses of Schroth treatments, which he took in the 
meantime. 

I have already called attention to the fact that the sexual 
well-being of man is most disadvantageous^ influenced by an 
unnatural mode of life, and that all sorts of uncleanly and dis- 
astrous vices are caused by it. 



211 



The sexual well-being of man is connected with the love of 
the sexes, this great and holy power, that stirs the body and soul 
of man to its very depths, and with which nature combines the 
great purpose of propagating the race. Now, if this mysterious 
and holy sphere is disturbed and desecrated by all sorts of vices, 
it is evident that some special disaster must follow ; instead of 
sweet joy we then have disgust, sickness, satiety of life, even pes- 
tilential diseases. 

Sexual immorality defiles and corrupts man more than any- 
thing else, and it is most necessary to call attention to the matter, 
however unwillingly I touch upon this sad, dark side of our pres- 
ent human life. There exists to-day unspeakable, corruption from 
this source, and an enormous amount of disease; it is therefore a 
duty to enlighten men on this subject, especially our youth. 

In consequence of unnatural practices in the intercourse of 
the sexes, a very dangerous poison is developed. Naturally sexual 
diseases first arise in the sexual organs. The first stage of 
sexual disease is gonorrhoea. This may in a certain sense be con- 
sidered an acute sexual disease. The urethra, is, so to speak, in 
a catarrhal condition, as it is endeavoring to throw off the poison, 
and the pus therefore issues in drops from the tube. 

From the two cases mentioned above we see that with a 
wrong mode of life gonorrhoea cannot be sufficiently eliminated, 
and with medicines the dangerous poison can be fixed and per- 
manently lodged in the body. The first case also shows how dan- 
gerous wrong treatment can be. I can therefore not sufficiently 
warn against all unnatural procedures in sexual diseases, since 
the consequences can be very serious indeed, such as severe 
nervous troubles, blindness, consumption, cancer, etc. The only 
safeguards are correct nature-cure treatments undertaken at an 
early stage. We also see from the above that the old nature-cure 
methods are not sufficiently effective in sexual diseases. The 
first case furthermore teaches us how meaningless and valueless 
diagnoses are. With purely natural treatments we can rob 
gonorrhoea of all its dangers. 

Chancre and syphilis are still more dangerous stages of ( 



— 212 — 

sexual disease than gonorrhoea. These, too, can in the first place 
be recognized by the formation of ulcers on the sexual organs. 
If chancre or syphilis do not receive the right kind of attention, 
the poisoning of the body proceeds apace, which manifests itself 
from time to time in various symptoms; by all sorts of skin dis- 
eases, ulcers all over the body (even in the mouth), so that the 
afflicted person is often obliged to shun human society on that 
account. The poisoning can, moreover, manifest itself in the 
most dreadful, most horrible diseases that we know of : epilepsy, 
insanity, consumption of the spinal cord, St. Vitus' dance, etc. 

Unfortunately, for these pestilential diseases the word holds 
good : "I will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the chil- 
dren "unto the third and the fourth generation." 

But all this mischief is chiefly caused by the lavish use of 
mercury preparations. They not only render the body incapable 
of throwing off the poison of the disease, but they introduce still 
another horrible poison into the body. The treatment with mer- 
cury is a dreadful crime against humanity and against all laws of 
nature. 

Syphilis, too, this scourge of mankind, can be cured by 
natural treatment and the more recent the case the quicker the 
cure. In old cases patience and perseverance will be necessary. 
But the cure ought to be undertaken in any stage of the disease, 
there is always a chance to improve and kelp. 

All friends of humanity ought to help here, and show men the 
only sure way to put a stop to this dreadful disease, which has to- 
day spread among all classes. 

DIABETES. 

This disease, too, is greatly feared. Medical science pre- 
scribes an almost exclusive meat diet for it, but it is well known 
that in this way diabetes has never been cured. This disease is 
like all the rest, a consequence of an unnatural mode of life, and 
can therefore only be cured by a strictly natural life. On ac- 
count of the widespread erroneous view that a meat diet is neces- 



— 213 — 

sary in diabetes, it is often very difficult to induce the patient to 
accept a fruit diet. But this unfortunate prejudice must be over- 
come, and the perception must take root that the name of a dis- 
ease is always a matter of indifference, that, moreover, we can 
no longer make any distinction between the separate diseases, 
but that all diseases must be treated in the same way, strictly ac- 
cording to the prescriptions of nature. When men have once 
recognized this only correct method of treatment, they will no 
longer fear diabetes. 

BOILS. 

Mr. A. at L,., twenty-seven years of age, had been suffering 
with furuncles all over the body for two years. Hitherto the 
patient had healed them with so-called Hamburg and similar 
plasters, or, more correctly, had driven the matter back into the 
body with salves and similar allopathic remedies. In consequence 
of this unnatural treatment, the entire left leg began to swell up 
in such a way, that he could walk only with the greatest difficulty, 
and was quite exhausted when he arrived at the Jungborn. The 
entire upper part of the thigh was already so much affected that 
it was quite black. The case was exceedingly critical, and many 
a physician would have considered it necessary to amputate it. 
The universal remedy loam, the only effective remedy for boils and 
swellings, there too did its duty completely. By compresses of moisc 
earth, which were placed upon the most inflamed part, in this case 
the upper thigh, the matter gathered and as early as the fourth 
day of the patient's stay at the Jungborn, a veritable stream of 
pus and blood issued from the affected spot. This made a hole 
ihe size of a dollar into the flesh, from which a mass of foreign 
matter was brought to the surface daily. 

By continued treatment of the wound with a clay plaster the 
wound gradually healed. 

Besides the clay, which was the chief factor in this cure, the 
aromatic air prevailing at the Jungborn, the nut diet, as well a* 
the sun, and also the rain, did much to eliminate the foreign mat- 



— 214 — 

ter. The urine of the patient, in the days when the boil wa5 
discharging abundantly, was bloody, and it is to be assumed, 
therefore, that the elimination of foreign matter went on by this 
channel also. 

Boils very frequently occur in the beginning of the treatment 
according to my method. This is easily explained and a very 
favorable symptom, for it is a sign that the eliminatory function 
of the body has been greatly stimulated by the treatments. As 
long as it is at all possible nothing whatever ought to be done 
in case of boils, but nature ought to be left to take its own 
course. If the pain gets too severe it can be alleviated by clay 
compresses. But boils must always be treated with cold clay 
compresses only. They must not be cut or pricked open. When 
they are ripe they will open of themselves, clay compresses will 
then greatly aid the discharge of the pus. 

The boil is exceedingly beneficial for the body, it is often ac- 
companied even by fever, which proves most of all that the 
body is in the state of curative activity, during the process of the 
boil'. 

I have often observed that patients with boils would not be 
persuaded to discard warm water compresses (or also warm hay- 
seed compresses), and have then always convinced myself that 
ihis treatment was wrong and contrary to nature. With the 
warm con presses the boil often ripens before its time, and we are 
thus working against nature, the body does then not nearly get the 
advantage from the boil that h does with col 1 clay compresses, 
and every unnatural treatment always has its disadvantages. Only 
after cold clay compresses does the body experience a really grate- 
ful relief, and the wound, too, heals most quickly in that way. 

If one takes thin, soft linen, wets it and spreads it with clay, 
it will generally adhere like a plaster, and no further bandage 
is needed to keep it in place. One generally soon finds out what 
is the easiest way to treat a boil with clay. I must here remark 
once more that in the case of open boils the clay or the earth must 
be placed directly on the wound. 

The elimination of foreign matter from the body through 



— 2I 5 — 

a boil is very great. It is not only the disease matter that flows 
from the boil in the form of pus that is expelled. I have often 
observed that the greatest quantity of foreign matter is discharged 
through the urine while a boil is running its course. I have often 
found big heaps like sponges in the urine. Boils are therefore 
not to be feared but welcomed. 

CHRONIC HEADACHE. 

M. in M., suffering from chronic headache for years. M. 
was relieved of his protracted headaches by a clay compress on 
the neck during the night. 

TETTER. 

N. N. in O. was suffering for years from corrosive tetter. 
All remedies had been tried without avail. After applying six 
compresses with moist earth the tetter dried up and disappeared. 
What a simple and rapid cure of a very disagreeable trouble! I 
know of some brilliant cures by my method in cases of long stand- 
ing. 

SNAKE=BITE POISONING. 

Recently the following report made the round of the papers : 
"In the village of Recale near Caserta a young girl of twenty, 
while making hay. was bitten in the foot by a snake a few days 
ago. Her foot and leg soon began to swell, and the girl suf- 
fered great agony. Her father placed her on a pushcart and took 
her to Caserta. When they arrived there the whole right leg 
and arm of the poor sufferer had swollen to enormous dimensions. 
The physicians declared that the girl was past cure. The patient, 
moreover, lost consciousness, and her father brought her back to 
Recale more dead than alive. Here he made a last desperate 
effort to save his child by resorting to a remedy which tradition said 
had saved a girl of the village bitten by a snake centuries ago 
from certain death. He dug a hole in the garden, put his 
daughter naked into it, and then covered her up, leaving only 



— 2l6 

her head free. The Mayor attempted to force the father by call- 
ing in the police to take his daughter out of the hole, but the 
entire village took the part of the father, the men armed them- 
selves, and there would have been a bloody collision if the 
Mayor had insisted on the execution of his order. The girl "was 
''dug up'' again only twenty-four hours later, completely cured. 
This strange occurrence has been confirmed in the 'Corriere di 
Napoli' by the prefect of Caserta." 

In our part of the country, the common adder is perhaps 
the only one of all the dreaded poisonous snakes. From the 
above well authenticated report we see how easily blood-poison- 
ing by snake bite can still be healed, even after, in consequence 
of wrong treatment, a most dangerous stage has been reached, 
and the poison has already penetrated through the whole body. 
We can therefore feel all the more convinced that a poisonous 
snake bite is without any danger whatever, if moist earth is at 
once applied. If ever anyone should be bitten by an adder, there- 
fore, let him at once apply moist earth to the affected place, and 
renew it in the beginning every hour or two. He will then have 
nothing to fear, especially not if he also leads a natural life. 

The same as snake bites the bites of mad dogs can be ren- 
dered harmless by the prompt application of moist earth. The 
skill of Professor Pasteur is entirely uncertain and unreliable, but 
the skill of the great master, nature, never fails us. If indeed 
there ever has been a case where rabies have been avoided through 
Pasteur's method, we may confidently assume that the health 
of the person in question has thereby been impaired to such a 
degree that he is doomed to disease, in a way that is still more 
tormenting and more dangerous than rabies. 

From this we again see what a very important place earth 
occupies as a healing application, that it is indeed an invaluable 
and cheap universal and household remedy. 

DISEASE OF THE SPINAL CORD AND OBESITY. 

H. at F. suffered from diseased nerves and spinal cord, was 
entirely paralyzed, and weighed two hundred and fifteen pounds. 



— 217 — 

It was with great difficulty that he could be transported to the 
Jungborn at all. On the journey it always took at least four men 
to- carry H. into another car when a change had to be made. 
There seemed to be no longer the least hope for H. He remained 
at the Jungborn for four weeks, and soon wrote me from his 
home : 

"To-day I can joyfully exclaim : your method of curing has 
truly done wonders in my case of severe nervous and spinal dis- 
ease, coupled with complete paralysis of both legs ! During my 
stay at your institution there was already a substantial improve- 
ment, as you will remember, and this did not only endure, but 
kept on increasing, although I have been actively engaged in my 
business, from morning till evening, since the day of my return. 

"Of course I have strictly observed all your directions with 
respect to diet, earth compresses, baths, etc. My general health 
has improved exceedingly, and I have lost fifty-five pounds in 
weight, as a result of the treatments. I thank Providence for 
enabling me to find your institution." 

At the Jungborn H. was often buried in the earth with his 
legs, and sometimes up to his chest, which proved to be very 
effective. For the rest the treatments, in this case also, were as 
usual. 

CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY RHEUMATISM. 

Ph. at F. (fifty-nine years old), suffered from chronic in- 
flammatory rheumatism for years and was finally quite paralyzed. 
A course of treatments according to the old nature-cure method 
had not had any special result. Ph.'s condition became more and 
more serious, finally one leg was to be amputated. In his great- 
est need my book fell into his hands. By taking the bath, the 
fruit diet, light-and-air baths, etc., a cure was effected in an as- 
tonishingly short time, to the greatest astonishment of his friends. 
The leg was saved. 

Gout, rheumatism, lumbago, sciatica, and all diseases of this 
kind come from bad humors in the blood. They can all be 
healed by a true nature-cure (but not by packing the body in 



— 218 — 

warm wool, by warm baths, etc.), and all the pains and tortures 
that they cause ought not to be endured any longer. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Mrs. S. of H. *'It is with great pleasure that I write you 
once more in my mother's behalf, to thank you with all my heart for 
all your goodness and kind endeavors. During her four weeks' 
treatment at the Jungborn my mother has so fully recovered, 
and is so refreshed in body and mind, that she is quite rejuve- 
nated in spite of her sixty-three years of age, and everybody who 
sees her is perfectly amazed ! She must then always give a thor- 
ough report of the Jungborn, and of all the good things that 
suffering mankind experience there. My husband and I are true 
champions of your cause, and we, too, often think with pleasure 
and gratitude of the hours spent with you. — M. G." 

"I am happy to tell you that I have passed my examination 
satisfactorily. I am chiefly indebted to the diet that I observed 
during the last weeks before the examination for keeping up so 
well during the ordeal. I was always full of life and never lost 
courage. I am quite a different person now, and am taking a 
new interest in life. — E. St." 

It would lead me too far to add more testimonials of the re- 
markably favorable results that have already been achieved by a 
truly natural mode of life and by the treatments, even in cases 
where the old nature-cure method had been entirely barren of re- 
sults. I shall only mention a few more cases, that are of 
especial interest. 

LARGE WOUND FROM THE BITE OF A DOG. 

A. N. in E. was bitten by a large dog that was universally 
feared for his viciousness. There were two wounds ; the one was 
so large that it seemed incredible that a dog could inflict such a 
wound with his tusks. It was about an inch and three fifths in 
length, about three fifths of an inch deep and two fifths of an 
inch wide, the dog had actually torn out the flesh. It was 



— 219 — 

therefore, much worse than a cut of the same length and 
depth. The friends of the wounded man were, therefore, in 
great anxiety, since dog bites are generally very danger- 
ous. I cooled the wound with cold water, then put moist 
earth upon it, and bandaged it with a wet linen cloth. This ap- 
plication was renewed every morning. The patient led a natural 
life according to my method. In this manner the patient did 
not suffer the least pains from the start, and was not for a mo- 
ment hindered in walking, running, climbing mountains, etc. 
The lesser wound was already healed on the second day, and the 
larger wound showed not the slightest alarming inflammation, 
or gave any other discomfort or annoyance to the patient. In 
three weeks the deep, large wound was healed. Whenever 
the bandage was taken off a great quantity of very malodorous 
liquid matter came away. Earth is peculiarly adapted to draw 
disease matter from the body and from the wound. For this rea- 
son it is so very healing in cases of insect, snake, and mad dog 
bites, and in vaccine and other blood-poisoning, as I must once 
more repeat. 

The use of alcohol, tobacco, etc., is especially dangerous in 
case of wounds. 

I have already mentioned that we find all creatures of na- 
ture that eat meat to be bloodthirsty. But beasts of prey are 
seized by this passion only when they must satisfy their hunger. 
In meat-eating men, however, this murderous poison manifests 
itself in a most disgusting and abhorrent manner. For man 
meat-eating is not natural, it must therefore necessarily cause 
morbid desires and passions. There is, moreover, an uncanny 
demon that plays havoc with man, called alcohol ; at present it 
is penetrating old and young and makes fearful monsters of peo- 
ple. Man does not kill only for the sake of food, he even lays 
hands on his brother. 

In order to regulate this savage murderous passion of man, 
and to let it appear a little less gruesome, the art of war 
has developed. In war, then, mankind satisfies its innate uncanny 
desire to murder, to be sure according to the rules of civilized 



warfare. Floods of human blood are shed, and in the uncann> 
jubilation of victory are mingled the dying groans of human be- 
ings, and the sad lament of innumerable broken hearts of brides, 
mothers, and fathers. Through his unnatural mode of life man 
has reached the greatest monstrosity, war. Jesus said: 

"Put up again thy sword into his place : for all they that take 
the sword shall perish with the sword." — Matt. 26:52. 

In case this wildest passion of men should once more be let 
loose, in case peaceable governments should no longer withstand 
the people's greed for war, for this eventuality I wish to call 
especial attention to the bandage with moist earth. 

The wounded warrior always has earth at his disposal, he can 
even moisten it with his own saliva. If he cannot make a band- 
age, he need only fill the wound with earth. If a bullet cannot 
easily be removed with the hand, he can calmly allow it to remain 
in the body. Extracting the bullet by cutting is injurious, even 
dangerous. As soon as the warrior has filled or covered his 
wound with the earth, his pain will cease, and the way will have 
been prepared for the most favorable healing process. If the 
bandage with moist earth has once been introduced, the danger 
from wounds in hospitals will no longer be so exceedingly great 
in time of war, and there will be a stop to the many operations 
and amputations. And after the war there will no longer be so 
many cripples walking the earth without arms or legs, as wit- 
nesses to the extremest human misguidance and degeneration. 

M. A. at B. took treatments according to my method for 
about three-fourths of a year, for a very severe, old, and long- 
standing nervous trouble, after all other remedies had failed. 
The old nature-cure method had brought him relief and a little 
improvement. As a child he had never had any of the children's 
diseases (small-pox, measles, scarlet fever, etc.), and in later 
years, too, he had never had an acute disease or cold. A. had 
considered this as a good sign of health; in truth, however, it 
was just because his body did not possess sufficient vitality to 
purge itself of foreign matter, through acute diseases, and colds, 
that his severe nervous trouble had taken possession of him, 



221 



and would surely soon have brought him to the insane asylum, or 
to an early grave, had he not taken the natural treatments. Soon 
after the treatments A. became subject to many, often very 
large boils and carbuncles, which with the natural treatment, al- 
ways brought him great relief. In the course of time light acute 
diseases set in, even severe diarrhoea, accompanied by cholera 
symptoms. After these crises, too, A. always felt very much re- 
freshed and well. At last a very severe influenza made its ap- 
pearance. The patient looked very pale and miserable, and felt 
very weak. He took to his bed in the light-and-air cottage de- 
picted on page 66. The cottage remained open on all sides, al- 
though it happened to be very cold, rainy weather in March, and 
a very cold, piercing wind blew through the place. Sometimes 
the patient took a light-and-air bath for twenty or thirty minutes, 
in the cold weather, that is, he walked about naked (without any 
clothes whatever) outside of the light-and-air cottage, in the 
open air, and sometimes he took the natural bath. He hardly ate 
anything at all. After A. had been lying in the light-and-air 
cottage in the midst of pine and birch trees, for several hours, he 
felt great relief. The foreign matter began to loosen, there was 
copious discharge from mouth and nose, and soon perspiration set 
in. In three days A. was cured of the influenza. After this severe 
crisis he felt that he had made an immense stride towards 
health. He was very happy and thought he had not, during the 
whole course of treatment, made anywhere near as much prog- 
ress. A. is still continuing the cure with continued great results 
and is still sleeping in a light-and-air cottage. 

Was not this a simple, cheap, and happy cure? 

With the unnatural treatment of to-day, how long do men 
still suffer from the consequences of influenza? For many even 
the sequel is death. But those who die of it are often better off 
than those who survive the wrong treatment, and are "cured," 
but in whom, in truth, the light acute disease has been changed 
into a chronic disease (consumption, cancer, asthma, etc.), and 
who are thus given over to protracted invalidism, great tortures, 



222 

and terrible misery, unless, indeed, they happen to find the right 
cure later on. 

It is entirely erroneous to think that only especially hardened, 
and strong natures may venture to make use of air in the above 
manner. Air is always helpful and harms no one in any case. 
The delicate and weak experience the greatest strengthening- 
effect and the greatest relief from light-and-air baths at the 
lowest temperature. 

But angels might come down from heaven and bring this 
message to men, and still they would not believe it. 

Whoever has no summer house, or light-and-air hut at his 
disposal, ought at least in every case of sickness, (acute or 
chronic) leave the windows of his bed room open in summer and 
winter, and then too expose his bare body to light and air again. 

If the healthy man needs air, above all things, for the preser- 
vation of his strength and vigor, how much more necessary must 
it be for the sick organism. That air is actually feared in sickness 
is a dangerous and fatal delusion, for which men must suffer bit- 
terly. 

The opinion also prevails, for instance, that in measles, scar- 
let fever, etc., children must not go out into the air too soon, and 
even the windows are darkened in the sick room, that no light 
can penetrate. 

But in this manner many children are made unhappy for life, 
(blindness, deafness, weak-mindedness, etc., are the consequences) 
or the little earth mounds in the cemeteries increase in number, 
at the sight of which everyone's heart is moved, because one in- 
voluntarily feels that these tender buds were broken, before the 
blossom could unfold, against God's intention and will. 

I know a child that had light-and-air baths during an attack 
of measles, and that went out walking in the fresh, cool air on 
the third day, while the windows of the sick room were always 
kept open. All the cousins and aunts of the neighborhood were 
indignant at this unprecedented recklessness of the parents, and 
a physician made the statement that such foolhardiness would 



— 223 — 

avenge itself severely even if the consequences did not appear 
till half a year had elapsed. 

But the child, who has since been kept on a natural mode of 
life, is prospering wonderfully, although several years have 
passed since that attack of measles, and is the joy of its parents' 
hearts. Yes, children above all are such wonderfully apprecia- 
tive patients in a natural cure. 

With holy awe people to-day send to the apothecary for 
remedies, that have been invented and brewed by men who 
themselves are groaning under their load of disease and pain, 
and the people who attempt to cure themselves in this manner 
are considered sensible. But the remedies of nature have always 
been ridiculed and derided, as well as those who, in order to free 
themselves from their disease, have resorted to nature in order 
to regain their health and happiness — a happiness of which men 
in their present sad state of existence can have no conception — 
because they again observe the laws of nature and the command- 
ments of God. Is this not the same as deriding God Himself? 

In the above reports of cures we have seen that all patients 
were treated in the same manner. 

Only the earth compresses, by which a local effect was to be 
produced, varied according to the disease. 

/ now observe that almost all patients took compresses on the 
abdomen, even if this was not especially stated in the report. 

Likewise in all cases great importance was placed on going 
barefooted (without sandals) on the bare ground. 

Often, too, the body or parts of the body were rubbed and 
stroked by proper persons. This was chiefly done after the 
natural bath, and contributed much to the surprising results. 

The true healing method must be simple, and must possess 
the unity which nature itself has. Whoever attempts to individ- 
ualize in the healing of diseases, only shows a morbid desire for 
knowledge, for science, whose chief mission it is to reduce, in- 
dividualize, specify, classify, numerate, etc. 

Of course the cure progresses more rapidly in one case than 



— 224 -* 

in another; that depends on how much the vitality can still be 
stimulated. 

The return to nature, the natural mode of life and curative 
process, must soon become a joy and a pleasure, it must not be a 
torture and a burden. 

A gentleman once wrote to me : "It is a pleasure to be sick 
at the Jungborn." 

The more rapidly and the more fully we return to a com- 
pletely natural mode of life, the better the result will be in all 
cases, but not all people can again return to nature with the same 
dispatch without experiencing hardships and discomforts on ac- 
count of it. This depends greatly on how far the diseased con- 
dition has progressed, and how much the internal organs, especi- 
ally the digestive organs, have been ruined. Everyone can best 
judge for himself in this matter. Everyone must, therefore, 
have complete liberty in taking the treatments; there must be 
no compulsion. 

All the practices may be suspended, especially the water and 
air baths, if at any particular time the patient feels very much 
disinclined to them. Let there always be freedom in the treat- 
ment of the sick, no compulsion. 

I have intentionally never attempted to describe and treat the 
various diseases, with their manifold phases and symptoms, in 
detail. I have considered it my task only to point out the 
remedies of nature that are at any time the best and surest in all 
diseases, and in every stage of a disease. 

Let no time be lost in : skin diseases, kidney trouble, liver 
complaint, consumption, feminine diseases, epilepsy, obesity, eye 
and ear troubles, diseases of the throat and nose, bladder trouble, 
sexual diseases, head trouble, sciatica, gout, stomach trouble, 
heart disease, paralysis, spinal disease, influenza, children's dis- 
eases, diphtheria, measles, etc., etc., but begin at once, as soon as 
the first symptoms of a disease appear, to undertake a cure as 
nearly as possible according to the directions of nature. 

Why should one, in case of sickness, first await an examina- 
tion and other useless and mistaken stuff before acting? While 



— 225 — 

the examinations that are at present customary to determine a 
disease, and the other preparations for all sorts of difficult and 
unnatural treatment are pending, a patient may often even be- 
come well again. 

After all that I have said so far everybody ought to be per- 
fectly clear as to what to do in any case of sickness. I certainly 
have sufficiently dwelt upon the importance of avoiding diseases 
bv a correct, natural mode of life. But if this has not been done 
and anyone is taken with pain and distress, or if any acute or 
chronic disease whatever sets in, then keep calm, and be assured 
that in a truly natural cure, with the means that I have pointed 
out, all diseases, even the most dreaded (diphtheria, typhoid 
fever, cholera, etc.), are entirely without danger. 

At all events see to it that there is pure, fresh air, apply earth 
compresses, take light-and-air baths, the water bath, have the 
body rubbed, leave off eating, until the appetite becomes very 
urgent, and then restrict the diet to raw fruit as much as possible, 
live chiefty in the open air, go barefooted, use the earth-power 
as much as possible. 

About the spiritual influences that are of the most curative 
significance in days of sickness, I shall speak more fully later 
on. 

Whoever has so far followed my expositions intelligently, 
will know that the same mode of procedure holds for all cases.. 
and will not ask for particular directions and a special course of 
treatments for every individual case. 

I cannot prescribe special treatments for all the different dis- 
eases, as is done in other health treatises ; for a truly natural cure 
is, in the main, the same in all cases. 

If, for instance, the case is one of typhoid fever, then let, first 
of all, all the windows in the sick room be opened, even in the 
colder seasons. Then the water bath is to be administered, and 
after it a light-and-air bath, whereupon warmth must be restored 
by rapid walking, if this is possible, or by wrapping in warm 
woollen blankets. The light-and-air bath can be taken frequently 
in every season of the year, in the open air is best, otherwise in 



— 226 — 

the room; one soon becomes convinced of its effect. The dura- 
tion of the light-and-air bath is from fifteen minutes to several 
hours; the longer the better. 

An earth compress on the abdomen is most advisable. 

The moist earth draws the heat from the abdomen and dis- 
solves the foreign matter there. 

In respect to diet, the rules repeatedly laid down by me 
must be observed. 

The friends of the patient often wish to show him special at- 
tentions and love. Even if they are convinced of the correctness 
of the fruit diet, they will bring the patient all sorts of drinks 
and foods, for instance, fruit juices, non-alcoholic wines, fruit 
soup, honey, all sorts of fine tropical fruit, and the like. But this 
is entirely wrong. Even if I have said that such things are per- 
missible, it is nevertheless better for the sick to use such dainties 
sparingly if at all. They are apt to deceive the tongue, to lead 
one away from a simple natural diet, and especially to beguile one 
into eating and drinking too much, which is always very injur- 
ious. 

To remain in the open air as much as possible is greatly to 
be recommended. 

The treatment of cholera is the same as for typhoid fever. 
In cholera as well as in all acute and chronic diseases an earth 
compress on the abdomen, the chief center of every fever, as 
well as of every disease, is always very beneficial. 

The treatment for measles, influenza, pneumonia, etc., is like- 
wise the same. 

If a chronic disease (nervous disease, consumption, dropsy, 
and the like), has made its appearance, the same remedies of na- 
ture are again applied. But the manner of treatment must be 
so arranged that it can be continued for months, even years. The 
best thing, of course, is to keep on with the cure indefinitely. 

In consumption, as well as all lung troubles, it is of great 
benefit to apply an earth compress to the chest, in dropsy to the 
swollen parts, in abdominal troubles and sexual diseases on the 
abdomen or on the sexual parts. 



— 22J — 

In the case of wounds, ulcers, (cancer), and in all skin dis- 
eases, the earth compress is. of course, the main thing. But even 
in these cases the general treatment of the whole body must not 
be neglected. 

I wish once more to call attention to the circumstance that 
in all diseases and for all conditions, fasting until noon is of the 
greatest hygienic advantage. If anyone finds these too difficult, 
let him eat but very little in the morning. 

If a cure in this manner is not undertaken altogether too 
late improvement and convalescence will be sure to follow. 
Nature never fails. 

Let every sick person begin his cure w T ith this implicit con- 
fidence, and with the serenity that comes of such confidence, and 
he will soon regain complete health. 

All sorts of remedies and applications, which are not in 
accordance with nature, are always recommended to every sick 
person from all sides, but these are always useless, and always 
carry even harm in their train. We should, therefore, at all 
events, adhere to the simple nature-cure. 

If, perchance, the result should not come as rapidly as we 
expected it to come, we must still remain tranquil; we must be 
patient and not allow ourselves to be misled into unnatural prac- 
tices. By unnatural practices a true success cannot be achieved, 
we always do ourselves much harm by them, without knowing it. 

Medical science to-day fears so many contagious diseases, 
and spreads much terror abroad in this way. 

But if we can still heal all these dreaded diseases, we ought 
to be able to deprive them of all danger of contagion. Whoever, 
therefore, takes up our cause may entirely lose all fear of incura- 
ble as well as contagious diseases. This fear does a great deal 
of mischief. 

Only through this simple, natural, uniform method can men 
once more become free and independent with regard to the care 
of their health and their sick from a special healing class. They 
will then once more exercise sovereignty over their health, their 
most precious, earthly possession, and will be free from the 



228 



present unworthy, and oppressive slavery to all sorts of doctors. 
In this field, too, people ought to begin to aspire to golden free- 
dom. 

Mankind has fought and struggled so much for freedom, 
this precious boon. Will they never care to gain the freedom 
over their own bodies, over their health ? 

SEA AND MINERAL BATHS, HIGH ALTITUDE 
SANITARIA. 

Doctors nowadays are very fond of sending their patients 
to the sea-shore, to get the benefit of the sea air. But it is my 
opinion that man is not a water fowl, but that his original home 
was the forest. Primitive man did not live by the sea, paradise 
was a forest that extended all over the earth. 

All this craze for baths with mineral springs, as well as salt 
baths, sulphur baths, and the like, is also entirely wrong. If we 
want to find health we must not look for it among those who 
make yearly pilgrimages to the various baths, for here, especially, 
we find disease and invalidism in. every possible form. But in 
these circles sickness is more a matter of fashion, and many a one 
returns from the bath sicker than he went. 

Therefore I must also admonish those of higher society, who 
really have the desire and the wish to get well : "Return to Na- 
ture!" The invalid and the man in need of recuperation must 
not go to the sea-shore, not to the mineral and salt baths, no, let 
him avoid all trouble and everything unnatural and go into the 
forest! O, how beautiful is the forest with all its magic, the 
rustling and whisperings of its trees, its cheery birds in the 
branches, its quiet and peace, its delicious air ! In the forest 
the fetters of the disease loosen most quickly. In the forest the 
patient is most easily diverted from everything conventional, 
from everything low and vulgar, and therefore soon regains his 
health both of body and soul. 

In the protected localities, in the protected valleys with 
their springs and babbling brooks, not on the inclement windy 
heights, but in the protected valleys do we find a luxuriant vep-e- 



— 229 — 

tation, here flourish flowers and fruits. Man, too, can therefore 
not flourish and grow well upon inclement windy heights, but 
only in the mild valleys, where the sun-rays gather. 

The cold air applications can, of course, be made just as well 
in the valleys and protected places. But the roughness and in- 
clemency of a cold climate is less perceptible here. The cold, 
however, which is very important remains here, too. 

On the heights, to be sure, the bacilli, so greatly feared to- 
day, are said not to prevail, and it is for this reason that elevations 
are so often recommended by physicians. To go to high altitude 
sanitaria has also become an actual fad in our time. It is well 
known that this theory of bacilli has already produced many 
absurdities and done much harm, and that the opinions of scien- 
tific physicians are subject to continual change. It is not bacilli, 
but a wrong mode of life that cause diseases, let us therefore re- 
turn to nature and fear neither diseases nor bacilli. 

WHEN OUGHT ONE TO UNDERTAKE A NATURE=CURE? 

It is often believed that summer is the only season adapted 
to nature-cure, and the greatest value is placed upon sun-baths. 

Animals may indeed come out of the thicket for a few hours 
of the day, while the sun is shining, to lie down in the sun, but 
then they again withdraw into the cool shade. The Germans 
who emigrate to foreign countries, for instance to Brazil, etc., 
generally do not live long. In the intermediate north (not ex- 
actly in the coldest regions) men always attain to greater age 
than in the southern, warmer countries. It is well known, too, 
how many kinds of fever and skin diseases, to which innumer- 
able people fall victims, occur in the hot zones. 

To be sure the sun loosens disease matter and promotes all 
growth and development on earth. But whoever takes too 
many sun-baths is very much weakened. Every sick person al- 
ways suffers from too great inner heat, which weakens, and 
often completely consumes him. Therefore cold air applications 
strengthen men above all things, and restore their health. 
Through cold light-and-air baths man gains strong nerves and 



— 2$0 — 

strength, which is of chief importance. 

In the cold seasons, when the air and water applications can 
probably be of only short duration, the nature-cure treatments 
are of wonderful efficacy. Alone through a fruit diet and earth 
compresses, through rubbing and stroking the body, which I here 
wish to emphasize once more, through breathing the air, which 
is purest in cold weather, very much can be gained during the 
cold seasons, but I once more lay stress on the great efficacy of 
cold light-and-air baths, even if they are of but short duration. 
The spring and autumn of the year ought to be valued most 
highly as a time for curing. In spring when all nature is born 
anew, man too ought to gather fresh strength for a new life, and 
also in autumn an invigorating breath passes through nature. 

In the summer the cool mornings and evenings and the cool 
days should be especially chosen for light-and-air baths. Also 
rainy seasons have an especially curative effect. The curative 
effect of going barefooted is greatly enhanced on wet ground, 
in wet grass, etc. Wet ground is the very best conductor to 
lead off disease matter. Those who always avoid the cold, who 
perhaps go to warmer countries in winter, never get well, their 
animal heat especially grows continually less. 

The want of animal heat in our present anaemic, nervous 
generation is actually alarming, but only through cold light-and- 
air baths, together with a natural diet (nut diet), can animal 
heat be once more restored. In taking a nature-cure you can also 
make yourself warm and comfortable in clothes, beds and rooms, 
after the cold applications, but you cannot regain animal heat 
by the warmth, cold air must accomplish that. In the course of 
time warm clothes, beds, rooms, etc., will become less and less 
necessary. The cold light-and-air baths can never be taken too 
long, they never do harm, but each one may be led, as regards time, 
by his own supply of animal heat, for everyone must be able 
to get thoroughly warm again afterward, in order to feel quite 
comfortable. Cold air is better adapted to restore animal heat 
than cold water. Ansemics can take the water bath very short 
or omit it entirely. 



— 231 — 

We know, too, that the nations in our temperate northern 
regions (it need not be the far north) have always been the 
strongest and most enduring. Let us recall, for instance, the 
ancient Germans, who in their primitive strength crowded out 
the refined and effeminate civilized nations of antiquity, the 
Greeks and Romans. The Germans were once the strongest 
people that the world has seen. Now, too, it seems as if the 
Germanic people, after they have passed through all the defects 
of civilization, were destined to lead the way back to nature. 
Out of its midst, apparently the new race will come that will 
permanently attain to the high aims of true health, and true hap- 
piness, and will thus enter upon the truly higher development 
of mankind. 

Those who cannot take air baths in the open, must, of 
course, take them in every season of the year, m an unheated 
room in which all the windows are open. In taking this bath 
one must always be entirely naked. 

It is also very desirable that the water bath, if any way 
possible, be taken in an entirely cold room. (The bath may be 
very short, according to circumstances). Only with beginners 
an exception may perhaps be made, and the room be warmed 
somewhat. 

Let us therefore no longer fear the cold, but let us again 
expose ourselves to it more and more ; in that way we shall soon 
acquire more strength and health This more intimate relation- 
ship with cold air can also be arranged in such a way that no 
harshness or great discomfort need to be experienced thereby. 

MY RELATION TOWARDS THE OLD NATURE=CURE 
METHOD. 

I am unfortunately having the experience that many of 
the adherents of the old nature-cure method are unwilling to 
follow me in my progress, there are even some among them who 
are violently opposed to my cause. But I share this fate with 
many who before me have had new ideas with respect to the 
nature-cure method. 



— 232 — 

When Schroth in his time attempted to perfect the Pries- 
snitzian water-cure method by a dry diet, he encountered his 
chief opponents among the followers of Priessnitz. 

The attacks that have been made on Father Kneipp by the ad- 
herents of the old nature-cure method were much worse and 
more malicious than the warfare that was waged against him 
by the physicians and laity who stood outside of the nature-cure 
method. And yet the venerable, worthy Kneipp rendered very 
great services to nature-cure. He popularized going barefooted, 
he introduced douches, which correspond to the rain in nature, 
and has at least shortened the time of full and half baths (to 
several seconds) while he denounced warm baths altogether, 
which is of great importance. 

It can readily be explained, how it is that the adherents of 
the old nature-cure method should make a hostile attack upon 
everyone who would introduce some progressive innovation into 
their cause, who would add a new stone to the edifice that it 
may grow more and more into a magnificent temple of God. 
The reasons for this lie deep down in the nature of the sick 
being known as civilized man. 

Man is happy and proud in the possession of an acquired 
knowledge, the more so if he has reached it by special training, 
and through a special course of instruction. Now if another 
person comes along who goes a step further in this knowledge, 
the former involuntarily feels uncomfortable. 

In such a case it is customary among nature-curists to 
accuse the innovator of going to extremes. They forget that 
what they believe to be the correct thing had also been de- 
nounced as extreme by their predecessors. 

Let me now test my system with regard to extremism. The 
transition from the present general mode of nutrition to my diet 
is much easier than to the present vegetarian diet. On my diet 
patients quickly regain their health and grow strong. It cor- 
responds more fully to the directions of nature, which must al- 
ways be of great advantage. The manner in which I advise my 
patients to again enter into relationship with light and air fulfils 



— 233 — 

but a small part of the complete relationship that nature pre- 
scribes, but this latter is of the very greatest advantage and 
blessing to the sick and entirely without hardship. 

And what of the remedies of the present nature-cure 
method? I do not wish to say anything against compresses, ab- 
dominal bandages and packs, they correspond somewhat to the 
bandages, and compresses with moist earth. But even the packs 
may be injurious in their effects, weak patients, for instance, 
cannot stand them. But a truly natural water application ought 
indeed to agree better with the weak than with the strong. 
With the natural bath and the earth compresses, this is the case. 
Full baths, however, and warm baths, which are doing much 
harm again of late, and especially steam baths, enemas, etc., are 
entirely against the design of nature, and therefore do the very 
greatest harm. All the artificial apparatus and contrivances that 
are necessary for this kind of curing, prove that they ar_e not 
at all in conformity to nature. 

The applications of electricity, which must be produced by 
the aid of an apparatus, and electric light baths are unnatural. 
Also the light-and-air baths, and sun baths in glass halls, in 3 
sort of hot-house, for which provisions are made in many institu- 
tions, are bad, they do harm in that they always lead away from 
nature again. 

Nature designed fruit to be the food of man. All chemical 
investigations and determination of the ingredients of food lead 
astray. We have had enough of the theories, so often put for- 
ward by medical science, about albumen, nitrogen and the like, 
which man must take into his system through food. All these 
theories have always caused no end of harm. Those who have 
nourished themselves according to these scientific doctrines al- 
ways suffered for it severely. 

But nature-curists also frequently drop into the same error 
as medical men. Of late years much is said about the necessity 
of food containing nutritive salts, and this is having a bad 
effect on the nature-cure method. I have also called attention 
to the fact that green vegetables are less injurious than legumin- 



ous seeds and cereals, and know well enough that we cannot as 
yet quite exclude green vegetables from human food-stuffs. 
Nevertheless cooked vegetables are an unnatural food. In con- 
sequence of the nutritive salts theory, however, many consider 
green vegetables as especially wholesome, and place great value 
upon them as a factor in nutrition. This, of course, is entirely 
wrong. But even chocolate and cocoa with the addition of nutri- 
tive salts are greatly in vogue, and are used in the belief that they 
are very conducive to health, because they have been prepared 
and recommended by nature-curists. But chocolate and cocoa, 
with the addition of nutritive salts, spoil the stomach just as 
much as they do without this addition, and this is where the 
greatest danger lies in human nutrition. 

All those who often and regularly drink nutritive-salt choco- 
late and cocoa, in the belief that they are wholesome foods, will 
soon have occasion to experience an impairment of their diges- 
tion. Therefore, so long as science has a hand in the nature-cure 
method, mischief will still be done. 

Oat-cocoa is, of course, just as unsafe and injurious as nutri- 
tive-salt cocoa. 

The old nature-cure method entirely overlooks the close 
connection between body and soul. The human body is not like, a 
machine, and it is on account of a more highly developed soul 
that man stands high above the animal. The chief thing for 
man is his soul life. We must take this into consideration 
especially, if we want to heal diseases. 

The old nature-cure method knows nothing of the wonderful 
curative effects achieved through soul influences, especially by 
fellow-feeling and love, that is cherished in the heart, and by true 
trust in God; they do not consider a true, natural soul life and 
its great significance for curative purposes. For this reason it 
is entirely powerless in many diseases, (especially nervous dis- 
eases.) 

I have often been obliged to test the truth of the words : 
"We are used to see, that man despises 
What he never comprehends, 



— 235 — 

And the Good and the Beautiful vilifies. 
Finding them often hard to measure." 
— Goethe "Faust." 

And many a time during the last years, while making bitter, 
sad experiences, have I learned to understand the words : 

"Yes of the kind which men attain ! 
Who dares the child's true name in public mention? 
The few, who thereof something really learned, 
Unwisely frank, with hearts that spurned concealing. 
And to the mob laid bare each thought and feeling, 
Have evermore been crucified and burned." 

—Goethe, "Faust." 

I am ready to sacrifice everything for my cause, even my 
life. But whatever I shall suffer through my cause and what- 
ever I shall lose, I shall never deny one word of it, and I shall 
never beg for human favors. 

Men would in vain try to shake the mighty mountains, and 
the lofty rocks that surround my home, but it would seem still 
more useless for men to attack the eternal truths upon which I 
take my stand, and for which I at any time am ready to sacrifice 
all my strength, and my whole life. But still I would like to 
offer the hand of friendship to the champions and adherents to 
the old nature-cure method, who have until now been more or less 
unfriendly to me. 

I owe the old nature-cure method infinitely much, I have 
through it found the way to nature. But if, driven by necessity, 
I investigated and obeyed the laws of nature still more than has 
hitherto been done, and if I regained my own health after sever- 
est sickness, and true joy in life, and if a great many others 
have through me found the way to the fountain of all life, to true 
piety and happiness, can I then be silent concerning that which 
I learned in painful struggle, and what I have achieved, and 
only because a few people don't like it ? It is very difficult too to 



— 236 — 

stop up this silver spring. It will, after all work its way through 
all obstructions. 

All my opponents, if they could not be convinced by my 
book, should have come to the Jungborn ; it is always open to 
them. Here they might have convinced themselves of the re- 
sults. 

If a truly natural method of curing should come into vogue, 
who would be injured thereby? Can there be any greater gain 
for the nature-cure method than to achieve more and ever more 
brilliant successes ? Only by successful results can the attacks upon 
the nature-cure method be silenced. 

Many more and better results can still be achieved than in 
the past, we can heal more quickly and more thoroughly, and can 
help in many, many cases where the nature-cure method has 
failed hitherto. In a word, quite a different state of health can be 
achieved than has hitherto been known, if for our bath we will only 
observe the form which nature prescribes, place more value upon 
light and air, and, also in this respect, consider the demands of 
nature; if we will not overlook the earth, and remember, in re- 
spect to our nutrition, that in making our choice of food, even 
from the vegetable kingdom, we must regard the designs of na- 
ture, and choose the fruits. 

The time of eating, too, must correspond to the conditions 
prevailing in nature. 

The manner in which I have so far spoken of the successes 
of a truly natural cure, of the healing of the body that can be 
accomplished, of the wonderful influence of a truly sound body 
upon mind and soul, and of the happiness of man that will result 
therefrom, the manner in which I have done this may indeed 
seem like exaggeration, like frenzy and fanaticism. Since the 
nature-cure method has so far not adhered closely enough to 
nature, it was not sufficiently harmonious and especially not 
simple enough. In this way no true health could be achieved 
so far, no true vigor and strength and ennobling of the soul. I 
mention this with no intention of blaming the adherents of the 
present nature-cure method and of our present vegetarianism. 



— 237 — 

In calling their attention to these mistakes, I would at the same 
time direct their attention to the precepts of nature, for the sake 
of suffering mankind that entrusts itself to them, and for whom 
it would result in the greatest blessing, and for their own sake, 
that they may take still more pleasure in their work than hitherto. 

Meanwhile no one should permit himself to waver, but 
should look into and try the matter himself, and whoever will 
subject himself to a process of the natural cure according to my 
directions will soon experience in his own person the good re- 
sults that were promised and accept the lesson. It costs nothing 
to make the experiment, and it may be made everywhere. Who- 
ever makes it will soon feel that he is once more in harmony with 
nature, and that he once more shares in the original pleasure and 
happiness which nature has in store for those who tread her 
paths. 

When in wood and glen young flowers put forth fresh 
shoots and all things renew themselves, when in love's sweet joy 
the nightingale sings her song, and gentle zephyrs fill the even- 
ing air, the sick heart of man, too, trembles with a vague inkling 
of all the wonder and magic bliss within the realm of nature pure 
and undefiled. Then we feel how health and happiness may still 
be had. 

Once again I extend my hand to the champions of the old 
nature-cure method and plead for peace. While the nature-cure 
method is making its way by virtue of its profound truths, it is 
not right that its champions and adherents should waste their 
time in angry controversy. Let us not ourselves stem the tide 
which is powerfully pushing on. 

EVERYONE HIS OWN DOCTOR. 

Nature offers her prescriptions to all men in the same way. 
One man does not get more from nature than another in regard 
to what is best for his health and happiness. Therefore it is 
incomprehensible why one should not wish to be his own doctor. 
We need only to listen to nature and to follow her lead. Every- 
one must indeed once again become his own doctor, or rather once 



— 238 — 

more select nature as his sole doctor, before we can look for true 
health. But this is the very lesson that modern man is so slow 
in learning. 

Modern nature doctors indeed preach, "Everyone his own 
doctor," but in case of sickness they insist on an examination of 
the patient and begin to "particularize." 

All this proves that they are ignorant of the true nature 
method, nor can everyone be his own doctor along such lines. 

After one has again come to a true understanding of nature, 
he knows instantly what to do in case of sickness. What need 
of an examination, and what is the use of the name of the sick- 
ness? If it were of advantage to be informed concerning interior 
conditions, and processes in the human body during health and ill- 
ness, nature would have constructed it so that we could readily 
look into it, she could have made it transparent or provided it 
with openings. But if the examinations are not desired by na- 
ture, they are always useless, and even very harmful. How- 
ever, people nowadays are possessed by a perfectly morbid craze 
to let someone ascertain their particular disease and give it a 
name. But no exact and definite conclusions concerning the na- 
ture and course of disease are ever to be drawn from all the ex- 
aminations by means of percussion, auscultation, or by studying 
the face, the nails, the hair, the handwriting, etc. In this re- 
gard nature is too mysterious for us. We come to see this 
especially when we observe the divergencies of various examina- 
tions. The more examinations, the more diagnoses. 

To rely on and base a line of procedure on the result of a given 
examination, whether conducted by means of physiognomy, 
phrenology, or graphology, will also teach us that in most cases 
we have made a mistake. 

Examinations are consequently entirely useless, yes, they are 
even always very injurious. 

I know of a case where a physician, who is regarded as an 
authority, told a man after he had examined him that he was 
very ill and would surely die, within a few weeks. The man 
was stricken with fright, and immediately began to waste away 



— 239 — 

until after a few weeks he died. Now granting that he was 
severely ill, it is evident that the positively expressed opinion of 
the physician, aroused such a firm conviction in the man that 
it aggravated the disease and hastened his death. Other 
physicians who had known and examined the man were indign- 
ant and amazed at this tragic end. 

I have myself often observed, that patients who are fre- 
quently examined are always in a state of unrest and excitement. 
The state of their disease always depends on the result of the ex- 
amination by a physician, or a nature-curist, or any man what- 
ever who is subject to all sorts of errors. Patients have to suffer 
much in this way, and I pity them all the more, because it is so 
much harder for them to get well under such conditions. 

Many diseases that did not exist before have been caused 
by such examinations, light diseases have become serious and por- 
tentous ; more difficult to cure or even incurable, only by being 
ascertained through the examination of some medical authority. 
The powerful spiritual influences should be taken into considera- 
tion here. 

We must always try to divert a patient, skillfully and quietly, 
(but without compulsion) from his disease. There is nothing 
that will more surely call a patient's attention to his disease than 
an examination. 

Everyone knows himself well enough that he is sick, and 
everyone feels his local troubles better himself, than they can be 
ascertained by any other person by way of an examination. 

But whoever has a particular nack for examining patients, 
can earn much money, by taking advantage of the present craze 
of men to always want to know the name of their disease. The 
success of the celebrated shepherd, Ast, proves this, who could 
diagnose diseases from the hair of the patient, but was neverthe- 
less unable to cure anybody. 

I have often been told by nature physicians that they well 
knew that there was no sense in examinations. But, they say. 
men to-day want to be examined, listened at, and felt over, and 
want special directions for every disease, — a harmonious, strictly 



— 240 — 

natural mode of procedure is too simple for the patient. For this 
reason they (the nature physicians) made it appear as if the\ 
themselves considered the examination and individualization im- 
portant and necessary. With this same intention patients ate also 
often given all sorts of remedies (homoeopathic remedies, herb 
juices, etc.). 

It is true that it is often most difficult for men to-day to 
grasp what is simplest. But if a physician, against his conviction 
and knowledge, treats a man with all sorts of make-believes and 
remedies, is not that deception and fraud? But whoever has 
fully grasped the sacred significance of the nature-cure method, 
to him such deception and untruth will no longer be possible. 
Let us make a clean sweep, therefore, let there be nothing but 
truth and honesty in the nature-cure method. We shall some 
day have to give an account of ourselves to God. In this way 
alone can mankind once more be saved. Truth and honesty are 
the only right things after all. Away, then, with all examina- 
tions, all individualization, and all other hocus-pocus nonsense, 
with all charlatanism and swindle ! 

Whenever we wish to arrive at some knowledge of the 
interior of a sick body by an examination, there is always an 
inner voice to protest against it, and this, too, is the voice of na- 
ture which we must heed. 

Unfortunately there are still many nature-curists who want 
to know all sorts of things about the inner diseased conditions, 
about the course of a disease, about the curability or incurability 
of a patient. Yes, men always want to be wise, wiser even than 
God, and therein lies all the misery of the world. Some nature- 
curists even deliberately try to show how very learned they are, 
and use all sorts of Latin, scientific, incomprehensible and high- 
sounding names and expressions, in order thus to make an im- 
pression on their patients, and to gain in their eyes. But, poor 
patients, do not allow yourselves to be dazzled by this ! If we 
look closely we shall soon discover that all this knowledge is of 
no use, and is nothing but error. Indeed, errors are the rule 
with such nature-curists ! 



— 241 — 

"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part." — 1 Cor. 

I3:9- 

Here, too, I should like to request nature-curists to set a 
noble and good example and to acknowledge and confess humbly 
and honestly, that they also know nothing. This, indeed, is the 
right kind of knowledge in this case also, to know that we don't 
know. 

In this way suffering mankind would be most greatly bene- 
fited. It would be the surest way to again teach men to become 
their own doctors. 

We need only to lead the sick to a purely natural mode of 
treatment and of life, which should be the same in all cases of 
sickness, and for which we need not to know or understand any- 
thing, when we can follow the voices of nature in good faith with- 
out sophistries and subtleties. All the rest we can then leave to 
nature and to God. 

To these arguments of mine, many nature-curists have re- 
torted that in this way all physicians and all nature physicians 
would become superfluous, and that they would thus undermine 
their own chances of making a living. But nature-curists ought 
to remember above all things that mankind to-day is being de- 
voured by its selfishness, and that the world cannot grow any 
better either for the individual or the masses until unselfishness 
once more holds sway, and that it is to be wished, therefore, that 
nature-curists above all others should no longer think of their 
own advantage, their own living, in pursuing their holy calling! 
Nature-curists ought only to think of the blessing that is to come 
to all mankind from our cause. 

The sick who are forever seeking for advice from one book 
or another, from one physician or another, can never acquire 
peace or health. Did primitive men have any advisers or physi- 
cians to assist them in the care of their health? Therefore I 
again exclaim : "Return to Nature !" 

General and all-round health and happiness can return to the 
world only when everyone again understands nature, and when 
evervone becomes in truth his own doctor. Not until then will 



242 

people no longer be helpless and perplexed in any condition of 
life, or at any moment, not until then will they be free and inde- 
pendent in the care of their health, and can thus soon become 
sound. In this way alone they are also proof against all great 
disappointments, and other great dangers in regard to their, 
health. 

It is indeed very difficult nowadays to lead men back to na- 
ture in this respect also, and teach them to be their own physicians. 
But when we once thoroughly understand and accomplish it, it 
is a source of much joy to us. We often observe to our own 
greatest surprise, how quickly people will feel and do the right 
thing in the minutest detail. For them there is now no longer 
any lack of insight or any doubt. Everything that they now do 
for their health they do gladly, with firm conviction and great 
enthusiasm, which calls forth great and important curative forces 
in the body. The consciousness of no longer being subjected to 
another in unworthy slavery, produces a rare sense of gladness 
and happiness, and the sufferings and diseases of the body drop 
off more and more like loosened scales ; the heaviest, most oppres- 
sive fetters which sickness had placed upon the body get loosened 
more and more. 

Men will then also have regained their complete liberty 
in the care of their health, a highly to be appreciated earthly 
possession, whose influence should be a special blessing. 

God in His wise providence has given man liberty in the 
choice of his mode of life, which the animal has not (the animal 
cannot prepare its food artificially or make clothes). Unfortun- 
ately man's liberty has led him to desert nature, and has brought 
all his misery upon him. But if through his liberty he finds the 
right way again, and once more returns to nature and God, not 
from compulsion like the animal, but in consequence of a true 
understanding, and in obedience to his own free will, he enters 
upon the highest phase of his development. 

Man now approaches more and more the ideal being from 
whom all the animal attributes have been sloughed off, while the 
Godlike attributes are taking their places, and are developing 



— 243 — 

more and more. At all events Providence was working towards 
the highest end when from the start it gave man liberty. 

For this reason man must always be allowed his freedom, 
no compulsion must ever be brought to bear upon him, especially 
not in the matter of his health. Only in perfect liberty can man 
really get well. 

Yes, it is not so difficult to cure diseases, but we must again 
understand the voices of nature, everyone must indeed become his 
own physician. 

I have always considered it as an especially high mission to 
teach men to become really their own doctors, and I shall continue 
to work in this direction, for I realize more and more how im- 
portant this is for man. 

I have also been told that many patients have been cured 
by the mere faith they have had in their physician. But how 
often, on the other hand, have men been deceived in their faith in 
men and human skill, and how difficult is it, therefore, to place 
one's faith and trust in a man ! 

Can men no longer place their trust in the great Physician 
in the heavens above? God always can help and does help if we 
only trust in Him again. 

"Oh trust in God who takes his stand, 
He surely has not built on sand." 

If even the faith in a poor, erring man can sometimes cure 
and help, what great help must come to us if we give our faith 
to the Almighty, all-good God, who created and sustains the 
world, who guides heaven and earth, and who has the fate of 
every man in His hand, who includes all beings in the great uni- 
verse in His infinite love ! 

But to-day we leave God entirely out of consideration; we 
think God is no longer necessary to us. There are so many pro- 
fessional healers at present, and there is so much science that we 
think God is superfluous. 

I want to cry out to all sufferers and all invalids who are 



— 244 — 

groaning and lamenting: Place your faith not on the skill and 
knowledge of men; look aloft, rather, to the Almighty and all- 
good God ; obey again the laws of nature, which are God's laws, 
and if you have the right kind of trust in God, He will always 
help you, and all your troubles and ills will soon disappear. 

To be sure, the way in which to-day theology and the Church 
practise the various religions and observe the worship of God, 
and cultivation of the soul, is not the way in which we can be won 
and led to higher earthly blessedness. But him who will follow me 
still further, I can perhaps also lead on to trust in God and to the 
holiest and best fountain of life. 

I have already frequently indicated how the sick particularly 
need the love and help of their fellow-men. 

If well-meaning and otherwise suitable persons only place 
their hand on the sick portions of the body of invalids, they fre- 
quently experience instant relief. Think of the cures that Jesus 
achieved merely by the laying on of His hands ! 

Rubbing, stroking, and kneading can very often be practised 
on the sick by suitable, healthy and worthy persons in. the sim- 
plest, most unskilled manner with the greatest curative effect. 
I repeat this again and again.* 

By the touch of a healthy person health is not only trans- 
ferred to the sick person, but the cure can also be explained in 
such a case by the disease being conducted away. But the 
healthy person does not suffer thereby, he even gains if it was 
a deed of love. 

When limbs are fractured, dislocated, etc., they must first 
be placed in the right position by others, before earth packs, etc., 
can be applied. In many other ways, assistance, attention, and 



*In this place I would once more like to call attention to a good 
remedy against cold feet, from which so many people suffer to-day. 
Besides the general remedies (especially going barefooted, etc.), it 
is very good to have cold feet thoroughly rubbed by strong persons 
with very warm hands. Such rubbing will in time restore more and 
more warmth to the feet, just as the rubbing of the whole body will 
always raise the animal heat of a person. 



— 245 — 

favors bestowed on the sick are advantageous or necessary. Yes, 
there must be a continuous flow of love towards the invalid, 
serving him and acting for him in the right spirit. When this 
love is genuine and true and acts in the spirit of nature, it can 
often achieve marvelous cures. 

But for all this, no one need thoughtlessly and without a 
will of his own entrust his health to another, as is so frequently 
the case to-day. This does not at all imply that each one cannot 
always be his own physician. 

The nature-cure method is of late gaining unprecedented 
popularity. The effect of this is, of course, that the champions 
of the nature-cure method, especially those that actually prac- 
tise it, are violently attacked and persecuted by scientific physi- 
cians, and, unfortunately, often in a very hateful and unjust 
manner. The physicians, of course, frankly admit that they are 
defending the "interests of the medical profession" — yes, there 
is not so much fighting 'done to-day for the general welfare, for 
the welfare of unhappy, suffering mankind. But one must not 
really blame the medical profession for this ; it is the general 
state of affairs at present. 

Is there any other class that does not energetically stand up 
for its own interests, without being in the least concerned whether 
others, especially the common welfare, gains or loses thereby? 

Physicians to-dav do indeed leave no stone unturned to 
destroy the nature-cure methods; they are continually appealing 
to the aid of the police and the law for this purpose. It certainly 
does not speak well for medical science that it must ask protec- 
tion in this manner. The nature-cure method will not lose by the 
oppression and persecution that is directed against it by physi- 
cians ; its great power and truth will only be tested and strength- 
ened thereb). It will now be forced to react against this op- 
pression, and will thus only gain ground all the faster, and in 
the struggle that is forced upon it, it will achieve a splendid 
victory. 

The medical doctors will then be driven by their own inter- 
ests to draw more and more largely from the nature-cure method. 



— 246 — 

Of course in this struggle between nature-curists and scien- 
tific physicians many low and ugly practices are resorted to. 
But this whole war, the whole question of doctors, can only be 
finally decided and solved in that all doctors at last become super- 
fluous, and everyone again becomes his own physician, 

At first, of course, single individuals, possessing the right 
spirit, must direct men to nature and her voices, and to the 
right way of finding their souls' salvation. But all preachers of 
nature ought in the first place to strive to teach men to be their 
own doctors, for in this way they will give them freedom, health 
and happiness. 

From what I have been teaching everyone can at any time 
undertake quite independently a purely natural cure, and lead 
a natural life either for a time, in order to free himself from some 
sickness, or for his whole life, for the attainment of the highest 
earthly happiness. 

But whoever undertakes such a cure and leads such a life, 
faithfully and in accordance with nature, must under all circum- 
stances remain steadfast, and be his own physician, and must 
not be led astray by any objections, advice and subtleties on the 
part of others, either medical or nature doctors, and also lay 
persons.* 

AGRICULTURE AND FRUIT CULTURE, VETERINARY 
SCIENCE AND VIVISECTION. 

I have already shown that nature originally voluntarily 
offered food to man, just as to every other creature, and I have 



*Here I must once more observe that no one in taking the treat- 
ment must be deterred by crises, which may manifest themselves 
either as pains, discomforts, or a feeling of weakness, etc., and which 
in some cases may set in early, in others later. 

The crises are always favorable symptoms; they prove that 
nature is engaged in curative activity. But if man is always discon- 
certed whenever nature is trying to help and cure, and will even 
work against it, with all sorts of unnatural remedies, how can he 
ever become healthy? 



also shown the reason why man still disregards the gifts of 
nature. 

Agriculture, which always comprised cattle raising, has 
from the start been a punishment, a curse for man's falling away 
from nature. Hard labor, sorrow, and care were always to go 
hand in hand with it. 

"Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou 
eat of it all the days of thy life." — Gen. 3:17. 

The tiller of the soil could therefore never expect joy and 
happiness. 

Within the last fifty years, moreover, a great and disastrous 
change has taken place in agriculture by the so-called "separa- 
tion." Single tracts in the field mark, belonging to individual 
holders have been thrown together into large joint fields. The 
reason for this was an attempt to utilize the field mark far more 
than has hitherto been done; for every corner and every strip of 
land that has been lying fallow, or had been planted with hedges 
and trees, is now put to use. And the tendency is no longer to 
plant bushes and trees, because they give shelter to birds and 
cause them to multiply. And the birds, of course, also derive 
their sustenance from the fields, which one begrudges the little 
songsters. 

This has at the same time been the opportunity for trans- 
forming the great pasture lands, the large green meadows, that 
formerly beautified the field marks, into tillage. The pasturing 
of the herds, especially of the cows, was discontinued because it 
was known that cows would yield more milk on stable fodder. 
Since that time cows generally stand, from the time of their 
birth till the day of their death or slaughter, tied to their crib 
in dark, stuffy stables, and always on their own dung. They are 
thus forever deprived of every free movement and of all pure, 
fresh air, which is an appalling cruelty. 

The field mark formerly appeared like a garden — yes, even 
like a carpet, with its interspersed hedges and trees, and green 
meadows; but to-day it makes a most uninspiring and dreary 



— 248 — 

impression. The sight of a field mark to-day is no longer pleas- 
ing and refreshing. 

All this, even the cruelty against the animals, has come about 
because the land owners wished to make more money out of 
agriculture and stock-raising. For this reason, too, all sorts of 
artificial, chemical fertilizers, and innumerable machines have 
been invented and introduced. The feeding of the animals in the 
stables is also made more and more artificial, and in fact is hor- 
rible. 

But rarely can it be shown more clearly than here that all 
striving and struggling for earthly mammon strictly speaking 
leads but to misery and poverty. 

The countryman labors on his land in the sweat of his brow, 
from early morning till late in the evening, and if he ever for a 
moment looks up to refresh himself, the old fields and meadows, 
variously adorned with bush and tree, no longer delight his eye. 
No longer do flocks of birds sing their glad, cheering tunes to 
him in his hard labor. Yes, the rich farmer of to-day is in truth 
very poor. 

In consequence of the unnatural fertilization, the products 
of the soil indeed become more abundant, but -they are also much 
more harmful to health since then. 

By a sort of prostitution he can draw more milk from the 
cows, that are bloated and distended by their artificial stall- 
fodder, but the milk is by far less wholesome. The farmers at 
present live not only on milk that is less wholesome than for- 
merly, they also eat the flesh of those fattened animals that have 
been reared on their own dung, which must naturally result in 
still more sickness and suffering for them. 

The greater abundance of money among the farmers, more- 
over, makes it possible for them to acquire many other unnatural 
habits. There is more unnatural clothing worn in the country 
now, and going bare-footed, for instance, has become almost a 
thing of the past. Indulgences and pleasures of all kinds that 
are detrimental to health have been introduced. The sons and 
daughters are more frequently sent to high-schools and boarding- 



— 249 — 

schools for a scientific education. Everywhere there are now 
agricultural schools, dairy schools, domestic-science schools for 
country girls, etc. The country population everywhere aspires 
towards enlightenment and education. 

But one can soon perceive that all this has not brought the 
country people happiness. All kinds of sickness and diseases, 
that were unknown to the old country people, and sin, vice and 
corruption have made their appearance in the country. The old 
peace and contentment, the old piety, have disappeared. 

In the manner above indicated the country people intended 
to achieve more gain and to improve their condition, but instead 
of the good fortune they expected we now have "the destitution 
of the agricultural districts," which is incessantly proclaimed and 
deplored. Discontent and misery now put in an appearance 
everywhere, which was never the case formerly. 

And the farmers likewise do not see that they themselves 
are to blame for all these evils. They look for the causes else- 
where. They are now incessantly combating all sorts of institu- 
tions and laws ; here, too, the State is to bear all the blame. 

And yet here, too, all endeavors will be in vain; only one 
thing can help : 

"Return to Nature!'* 

In the first place farmers ought no longer to strive foi 
treasures and delights and all sorts of apparent advantages 
through education, luxuries, etc., which never make happy but 
only have an external glitter which always deceives. They ought 
to begin a natural mode of life and return to the old simplicity 
and few wants, then they would indeed be able to live happily 
and without care. 

It is, however, not to be expected that farmers will soon 
come to see things in the right light and will turn back. But 
the single individual can nevertheless begin to lay the foundation 
for greater happiness, for health and contentment. 

I should especially like to urge farmers to turn their atten- 
tion once more to fruit culture. It will certainly give them 
greater pleasure than agriculture. 



— 250 — 

Yes, when farmers shall seriously begin to devote them- 
selves to fruit culture, they will have taken the first step toward 
a real improvement of their condition. 

With the cultivation of turnips, hops and tobacco, with that 
horrible fattening of cattle, and the like, the farmers of to-day 
are engaged in an enterprise out of which nothing but disease 
and disaster can come to mankind. 

The money which they receive for their products is in a 
certain sense the wages of sin, and there must also be a curse 
on it. 

But with fruit culture farmers will promote a cause which 
will regain for mankind true salvation and happiness. God will 
reward the fruit-farmer for his work, and he will have more 
pleasure and satisfaction, more rest and peace, than the agri- 
culturist. 

Every labor is also "worthy of its reward," and farmers will 
be more and more able to live on fruit culture. Everyone knows 
that fruit is very much sought after of late years, and is ever 
gaining in value. Even people who have as yet no compre- 
hension of a natural mode of life and of healing still begin to eat 
much fruit. This proves that the masses are now unconsciously 
being led back to nature. 

I cherish the firm conviction that this movement will in 
future be much more rapid and much stronger. For this reason 
many can now turn to fruit culture; they all have the very best 
prospects, if they at the same time restrict their own wants. 
In the future enough money can be earned by fruit-culture. 

It is sufficiently taught to-day that fruit culture can be so 
arranged as to yield good returns almost from the beginning. 
More attention must be paid to the cultivation of berries, straw- 
berries, gooseberries, raspberries, etc., and must be planted beside 
dwarf fruit and half- stem fruit. In this manner fruit plantations 
can yield returns from the very first year, and can soon become 
very lucrative. 

In fruit culture, too, we must avoid many unnatural prac- 
tices; do everything in the simplest manner, and conform as 






— 251 — 

closely as possible to nature; then we shall soon find the right 
way.* 

I would also strongly urge the cultivation of nuts (hazelnuts 
as w r ell as walnuts). 

Foresters are to-day regarding the hazelnut as a nuisance, 
and are actually trying in every way to exterminate it. The 
hazelnut will put up w r ith and grow in the most stony soil, on 
the most barren mountain, where hardly anything else can grow. 
But even these places are no longer given up to it. The nut 
shrub is never cultivated in woods and forests like other trees, 
and yet by rights it deserves the very first attention. Thus we 
see that man even eagerly seeks to destroy the hazelnut bush, 
which nature spontaneously produces without the labor of man, 
and which gives him the food which he absolutely needs in order 
to get true strength and health; while on the other hand, with 
great labor and at great expense, he cultivates the food that is 
of little use to him, and even injures his health. But if man 
always acts in such an unreasonable manner, is it then difficult 
to explain how all this sorrow and want, all this infinite misery 
and disease have come into the world? 

Let us therefore again make room for the hazelnut bush 
in our woods, and let us plant it in the gardens ; it will soon yield 
a rich harvest, and if we again live on nuts, an even stronger, 
healthier, nobler and happier race of men will arise. The nut 
bush w r ill then also become the most beautiful ornament of our 
gardens and fields. Yes, entire forests of nut bushes must, in the 
course of time, again adorn our German Fatherland. 



♦Although I am here speaking in favor of fruit culture and fruit 
plantations, and would like to win people over to it, I cannot give 
any special directions as to how fruit culture can be pursued in the 
simplest and most natural manner. But everybody can get full in- 
structions from the book "Joh. Bottner. Praktisches Lehrbuch des 
Obstbaues." (Verlag der Kgl. Hofbuchdruckerei Trowitsch & Sohn 
in Frankfurt a. d. O., geb. $2.00) or to the Naturopath Publishing Co., 
Ill E. 59th St., New York. The book contains a great many 
illustrations, which will make fruit culture clear in every respect to 
any lay person. 



— 252 — 

Only in the Hartz there are still solitary places, in the midst 
of stony debris, where not even the pine, which is certainly very 
modest, will grow, where one still finds the hazel-bush; every- 
where else it has been exterminated. But in making excavations 
in the Hartz (even on the Brocken) nuts have frequently still 
been found and traces of former rich nut forests. In the same 
way we have proofs that the hazel-bush originally grew all over 
Germany in greater abundance than any other species of shrub 
or tree, and that there have been great nut forests. 

The old Germans, as I have already mentioned, in the be- 
ginning allowed nature to provide for them entirely with her 
nuts and other fruit. When the Germans began the CHASE 
(the FALL OF MAN), which was soon followed by the use 
of alcohol and other unnatural practices, they deteriorated and 
became more and more brutalized, and finally developed into an 
enervated and miserable race just like the rest of the civilized 
nations, even if the inner corruption manifests itself to-day in 
a refined form and is surrounded by an illusive glitter. 

One actually becomes deeply moved by observing how 
nature, in spite of all the opposition of unreasonable, foolish man, 
is determined to let the nut grow, in order to offer it to man as 
food. If he would now extend a helping hand to nature and, for 
the first at least, again give fallow places and mountains over 
to the nut, or even devote fertile land to it, upon which so much 
that is worthless and even injurious to health is now cultivated, 
the nut would soon again grow among us of so fine a quality and 
in such abundance that it could hardly be all consumed, and could 
finally be had almost for the asking. 

But the nut is indeed the chief food of man ; he can live upon, 
it for the greatest part of the year almost exclusively, and in 
this way alone be truly strong and healthy. The old Germans 
have demonstrated this to us. 

But if now the nut were again to be grown so easily and so 
abundantly that man could have it for the gathering, cannot 
mankind see that it could then easily free itself from all want 
and material care? 



— 253 — 

Let everyone, then, who has come to recognize the truth, 
do his share to again encourage the culture of the nut, on private 
lands as well as on public domains. 

In the same way as against the nut, mankind to-day sins 
against the berries of the forest (huckleberries, raspberries, 
strawberries, etc.), and what I have said with regard to the nut 
holds equally for the berries also. 

Just the most necessary and most important shrubs and 
bushes man does not cherish, but even destroys them. 

Would that it might soon be different in this respect. 

The countryman who is only concerned about his own and 
his family's maintenance, who does not care to gather false 
riches, who wants to be and remain healthy and happy, who 
knows wherein true riches consist, can easily achieve his ends 
with fruit culture. 

In this manner the farmer needs to till much less land; he 
can let out or sell superfluous land, needs much less hired help, 
and domestic animals especially become more and more un- 
necessary. He need, therefore, no longer take advantage of his 
fellow-men or of animals. 

It seems to me that a farmer, with only a rudimentary 
knowledge of the right kind, who desires to be healthy and happy 
in a natural mode of life, and for this purpose turns to fruit 
culture, must be better able than anyone else to create for him- 
self a paradise on earth. 

Man has sacred duties also towards animals. Animals, too, 
are God's creatures, and man ought to take pity on them when 
they are sick, and ought to lend them a helping hand. But 
nowadays man sins against his domestic animals, his faithful 
helpers, in that he exposes them in every way to an unnatural 
life, as I have already shown above. May I succeed to show men 
the right way in this respect also ! 

I have already shown how the many diseases to which our 
domestic animals are liable arise from the bad mistakes of our 
present agricultural system, from artificial stable feeding. 

If man were to be tied like that, deprived of every free 



— 254 — 

movement, and forced to breathe in continually the fumes of his 
own excrements, would we not soon see that we were robbing 
him of his health in the most cruel manner? Men are continu- 
ally sinning like this against the animals. This wrong cries to 
heaven and calls down severe punishment upon the head of man. 

Also the feeding of animals with decayed turnip leaves, 
slops, etc., produces bad results. 

Therefore domestic animals must again be let out of their 
dark, stuffy stalls, away from their dung, into the fresh air, into 
the pastures. 

If the common pasturage for cattle cannot at once be re- 
introduced, every farmer ought to have a pasture of his own to 
which he can drive his cattle at least sometimes. It is absolutely 
necessary to have such pastures to keep the animals in health, 
and for cases of sickness among them. If the farmer has such 
a pasture, it will be an easy matter for him to cure his animals 
of disease. In most cases they need only be taken to the pasture 
night and day and kept there till they are well again. The ani- 
mals like to lie on the ground, and are especially invigorated 
when it rains. In many cases, especially in skin and leg dis- 
eases, in lung trouble, etc., it is well to make clay compresses, 
or to bury the animal in the ground, for instance, mangy dogs. 
Short douches with water may also do good service. When the 
animals are returned to the stable we must take care that there 
is plenty of light and air, and the dung must at least be removed 
daily. 

One need pay no attention to the animals after they are 
driven into the open air, into the pasture. They can be left alone 
to follow their instinct. 

When horses are sick their shoes ought to be taken off, 
and they ought to be driven to pasture. 

For animals, too, we need not fear colds. They may be left 
outside in cold days and in bad weather. In Winter, when there 
is ice and snow, they ought at least to be driven into the open air 
at intervals. 

I think that whoever has understood me in mv treatment of 



— 255 — 

men must know how to treat the diseases of animals correctly. 

The hoof and mouth disease, so common to-day, is the 
direct consequence of stable feeding, Pasturing the animals in 
the open air generally suffices to cure them in a few days of 
this disease, about which veterinary doctors, and even the govern- 
ment, are so greatly troubled. 

Besides providing pastures, green fodder ought also again to 
be fed more freely For the Winter good hay must be provided, 
and a liberal supply of turnips and the like. 

The grass that is to be made into hay is always mown too 
late at present ; it is always allowed to get too ripe. If the grass 
were mown earlier the hay would be more wholesome for the 
animals, and the meadows could be mown oftener, and in that 
way made to yield more. 

To-day a certain artificial strength is produced in horses 
by the excessive feeding of oats. For this reason the horse is 
much more liable to all sorts of diseases than those animals that 
are fed with green fodder and hay, as the ox, for instance. 
Horses can only become healthy and strong if they, too, are again 
driven to pasture, and are again fed on green fodder, hay, turnips 
(carrots), etc. Consider the horses of the Steppes, that eat only 
grass ; how healthy, strong, enduring and beautiful they are ! 

In some parts of Germany the horses are likewise fed only 
on grass (in Winter on hay, carrots, etc.), and they are healthy 
and very sturdy. Of course, if animals are again put on green 
fodder, on a natural diet, we must not be disconcerted if in the 
beginning crises should set in. The crises will be the more 
violent the longer the animal has been fed in an unnatural way. 

I have shown how much people have already harmed them- 
selves by wearing clothes. But we have even begun to spoil our 
animals, especially the horses, by covering them with blankets. 
It is entirely wrong to cover horses on every occasion, when they 
have become warm, or when they must stand in the rain, with 
blankets. Horses ought never to be covered. Horses, too, can 
never be harmed by the air. When the time comes that men are 
no longer afraid of the cold air, and will even in a heated con- 



— 256 — 

dition calmly expose themselves to air and draughts, they will 
perhaps also lose their anxiety with regard to horses. 

Plenty of stories are of course told of horses catching dan- 
gerous colds. But these have only come about because, in ani- 
mals, too, men no longer understand nature, and have subjected 
them to wrong treatment during colds. If animals have taken 
cold that is all the better reason for taking them out into the 
fresh, free air, then nothing whatever need to be feared; we 
shall only see them become all the healthier and fresher. Away 
with all blankets for animals, therefore. 

In the treatment of animals, therefore, we need also only to 
adhere strictly to nature. 

The castration of animals is also a brutal wrong on the 
part of man. 

And in this place I would like to say a few words on vivi- 
section. 

In our times scientific researches are made on living animals, 
by cutting open their bodies and observing the workings of 
the inner organs. Furthermore living animals are sometimes 
deprived of their eyes, they are even burned out, their tongue 
is cut off, in others the stomach, liver, or some other organ is 
taken out of the body in order to be replaced later on. Science 
in this way practises the most atrocious cruelties and horrors 
that actually cry to heaven. 

If science had the least ennobling - influence on man, such 
brutalities would be utterly impossible to professors. It seems 
to me that vivisection more than anything else tramples under 
foot all the nobler impulses of man. 

Researches and studies against which all the admonitions 
of conscience, all the voices of nature and God must at first 
powerfully rebel, and which can only be continued after all these 
divine impulses of the human breast have been smothered, can 
in no wise result in good. No. Such acquisitions are laden with 
curses and carry unspeakable harm in their train. At the sight 
of such scientific proceedings one must needs exclaim: "Woe to 
you, scholars, you degenerate men I" I have frequently shown 






— ^57 — 

how all vaccine poisons, anti-toxines, operations, these achieve- 
ments of cruel, scientific research, destroy more and more ah 
health among men, and are largely the cause of the misery that 
is abroad in the world, in a thousand different shapes. Yes, 
this whole misery of mankind is largely caused by the wrong 
medical treatment of men in times of sickness. 

But this curse can be taken from us again only when men 
will listen to the voices of nature alone, and will recognize how 
simply nature offers us the necessary rules of hygiene, and how 
all those studies and scientific labors, with all their cruelties, lead 
only to disaster. 

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WORK, FRUIT CULTURE AND 

SPORT. 

I have already said that the chief requisite for a sick per- 
son was physical and mental rest. We must adhere to this in 
all cases. 

The animal, when it is sick, always seeks rest. 

But mental workers to-day have gradually been brought into 
such a restless, excited condition that one must needs advise 
them to do physical work in order to induce mental rest. Physi- 
cal work must therefore often be resorted to in order to gain 
mental rest, which is first of all necessary. 

In the beginning men worked neither physically nor mentally 
in the way they do to-day. 

In their higher soul-life, in their unclouded love for one 
another and for God, their life found its true contents, and true 
joy and gladness, it was surrounded with a wonderfully poetic 
glory. The life of the more highly developed men, such as orig- 
inally lived in pure nature, as it is described to us in the myth 
of paradise, was without labor and trouble ; it was pure joy and 
blessedness. 

Our present intellectual and scientific pursuits and achieve- 
ments have not been able to compensate us for those pure joys, 
and the unclouded happiness, which man lost by his fall from 

A5 



— 2 5 8 - 

nature. They have only been still more the cause of all our 
present life-weariness, all our satiety and despair. 

Men have not developed any more highly through their 
unnatural mode of life, their present intellectual and artificial 
education. They have, on the contrary, sunk very low in all 
their sinful lusts and vices, through the corruption of their organs 
of sense, their instincts and conscience; in all their intellectual 
and spiritual darkness, yes, they have indeed sunk far below the 
animal. 

If men could only begin to realize this thoroughly, they 
would then no longer place so much value on their present intel- 
lectual work and education. 

After the fall from nature began our physical and intellectual 
work and all these so-called "delights" and "blessings" of civil- 
ization. 

But with the present intellectual labor, and all the beneficent 
contrivances, which especially the great inventions of modern 
times have brought us, such as railroads, the telegraph, the tele- 
phone, etc., with all the rest of the institutions, of big cities 
especially, and with all our present social amusements and enter- 
tainments, we find only those delights and pleasures that are in 
keeping with our unnatural mode of life, alcohol drinking, to- 
bacco smoking, etc. In reality they are not pleasures and com- 
forts, but only ordeals and tortures, delights that result in dis- 
gust, satiety, shattered nerves, and disease. The intellectual 
pleasures, like all the other pleasures of civilized man, are only 
a momentarily agreeable, artificial excitement, a transitory in- 
toxication which is always followed by a feeling of dissatisfied, 
discontented, and painful satiety. Everything injurious to health 
can never be a benefit or a blessing in any other way. 

In spite of all intellectual labor and industry, how barren 
and empty, how tedious and unsatisfactory is our present life ! 

The emaciated scholar, with pale face and bald head, often 
sighs : 

"O full and splendid moon, whom I 
Have, from this desk, seen climb the sky 



— 259 — 

So many a midnight, — Would thy glow 

For the last time behold my woe! 

Ever thine eye, most mournful friend, 

O'er books and papers saw me bend; 

But would that I, on mountains grand, 

Amid thy blessed light could stand, 

With spirits through mountain-caverns hover, 

Float in thy twilight the meadows over, 

And, freed from the fumes of lore that swathe me, 

To health in thy dewy fountains bathe me!" 

—Goethe, "Faust." 

How has true wisdom been lost more and more, in spite of all 
scientific education, how have men grown worse and more corrupt 
with it ! At the most we find much hollow show among men 
to-day, much external glitter, without heart culture, and without 
inner worth, no humility but much pride, and haughtiness, but — 
no happiness. 

Of course we cannot to-day all at once avoid all intellectual 
labor and all schools; only gradually can we return to nature. 
But we ought to begin to realize that excessive mental work and 
mental unrest, more than anything else, undermine health and 
destroy the peace of our soul, and our earthly happiness. 

We are superior to the animal by virtue of our intellect and 
reason, but in attempting artificially to increase and improve upon 
what we have received from nature we in reality only destroy. 
Is not the end of excessive mental work frequently mental dark- 
ness and insanity? 

Let men once more begin to live in the right way in accord- 
ance with nature, then only will they again promote the faculties 
and powers of the mind and the soul. 

The way in which men to-day blindly destroy their health 
and their happiness in the most unreasonable manner proves them 
to be altogether stupid and foolish, much more stupid than ani- 
mals. 

Let us confine our present intellectual work in the school 



— 260 

and in the lecture-room, at the desk of the official and in the office 
of the merchant to the most necessary transactions Our read- 
ing, especially the reading- of newspapers, ought to be restricted 
or entirely stopped. But above all things I would like to im- 
plore every philanthropist to strive to relieve the children, the 
growing up generation, of the heavy burdens which the schools 
at present impose upon them. 

Much of our completely useless talking, disputing, writing, 
studying, meditating, investigating, etc., ought to be discontinued. 
Instead, we ought to approach nature, devote ourselves to the 
pleasures she offers,practise brotherly love, and in this way gain 
joys and rich blessedness which will always promote health and 
elevate mind and soul. 

I should like to advise all scholars, whose minds have reached 
a torturing degree of restlessness in consequence of continual arti- 
ficial development and incessant exertion, to try and associate for 
some time with good, worthy, uneducated workingmen as with 
their brothers, without pride. They will then soon experience 
how quieting and agreeable the society and conversation of these 
workingmen is, in which all great intellectual stimulation and 
excitement is wanting. They could thus also best realize where- 
in lies the chief cause of the nervousness and general ailments of 
our present society. 

Scientific education has in reality made men neither wiser 
nor better. The educated classes therefore have no reason to feel 
themselves superior to the uneducated. This is pride that al- 
ways avenges itself. Let men once more practise humility, let 
them again descend to their poorer, uneducated fellow-men, here 
they can again find and regain health. 

The pleasures of civilization are vices that never satisfy, but 
always arouse more vehement desires, and although man suffers 
from them, he cannot get along without them. People also often 
find it very difficult to restrict, or leave off intellectual work, al- 
though they themselves realize that they are injuring body and 
soul by it, and are destroying their happiness. Their mind can 
find no rest, it is forever morbidly occupied with useless reflec- 



>6i 



tions and inquiries, with cold calculations and useless researches. 
But if men will only begin to live a natural life they will also 
find more rest again. Physical work will materially aid them 
in this endeavor. 

In our time gymnastics and other sports are a part of the 
daily program. 

I for my part cannot see anything natural in all this artificial 
bending, winding, straining, stretching — in these gymnastic feats 
indoors, either with or without apparatus. 

There is particularly much sickness and nervousness among 
gymnasts. Great strength, artificially acquired, is by no means 
health. Athletes, circus riders, gymnasts, etc., are known to die 
young. 

To the physical culturists, therefore, I would say: "Return 
to Nature !" Come forth from your musty, dusty rooms and 
halls, out into free nature ! Even games in the open air are 
much better than gymnastics. 

x\s for the rest of our modern sport of every description, 
there is nothing natural about it, even if it is practised in the 
open air. 

In our present time of haste and worry people have enthusi- 
astically welcomed and adopted cycling, in order to do homage 
also in this way to the spirit of unrest that has to-day reached 
its height. But if nature had intended man to hasten or fly 
across the earth she would have given him ostrich legs, or wings, 
that he. too, could fly along high in the air like a bird. Man 
distinguishes himself from animals by his erect position, but on 
the wheel he sits huddled up like an ape. 

Men at first enthusiastically welcomed the bicycle, like all 
other great achievements of civilization. To-day, however, they 
are already beginning to realize how much sickness and how 
much mischief cycling bears in its train. Many, also, are already 
getting tired of cycling; it does not seem to be rapid enough for 
them. Now they would like to have flying machines, in order 
to fly with furious rapidity like a bird, across countries and con- 
tinents in a short time. 






— 262 — ■ 



Beautiful, quiet walks, in beautiful surroundings, in woods 
and mountains, during which the heart and the spirit expand, 
are better and healthier than all sports and all cycling. 

I y et us again turn to physical labor. But is physical labor 
according to nature if it was not included in the original scheme 
of nature ? some one will ask me. Man has destroyed paradise ; 
he must restore it. Now, if physical labor were injurious man 
would, have to continue to do harm to himself, and for this 
reason alone the restoration of paradise would be an impossibility. 

Of course, the labor of our laborers, from early to late, year 
in and year out, is unworthy of any man. 

Fruit culture affords an opportunity for the most agreeable 
and best physical work. With fruit culture we promote the 
cause upon which depend the rescue and redemption of man- 
kind, and through which men will again be led to health and 
happiness. Tn future every one ought to raise his own fruit 
as much as possible; it must become less and less a matter of 
business. Whoever raises more fruit than he needs for himself 
can, if he is able, give it away, make presents of it to his friends, 
and thus cause much pleasure, while in making presents of other 
things (money, etc.) he frequently causes no pleasure, and does 
no real good, often even mischief. The labor involved in fruit 
culture is so fascinating, so agreeable, it gives so much pleasure 
and joy that it is for this reason very conducive to health. If 
we only begin to see things in their true light, and realize that 
the most natural is always the best and noblest, then the labor 
of fruit culture will soon be considered much more advantageous, 
and much finer than all gymnastics, cycling, and all other sport, 
and all our present so-called noble pastimes. 

Men will then also everywhere find an opportunity for physi- 
cal labor at fruit culture. If he cannot engage in it himself he 
can always assist friends and acquaintances. 

Here, too, it is particularly necessary that individuals of 
superior insight and independence should arise to set an example 
in spite of the erroneous opinions of the masses. 

Could not professional and business men, and even laborers, 



— 263 — 

acquire a piece of land, and in connection with their calling 
arrange on it for themselves and families, and perhaps for some 
friends, a life as nearly as possible in accordance with nature? 
Fruit-culture, as I said before, holds out the promise of profit 
for such an enterprise, while at the same time it will produce 
much happiness. Such a place would afford an opportunity not 
only for physical labor, but for going bare-footed, for light-and- 
air bathing, etc. It could soon produce the entire food for the 
family, and satisfy the greater part of the continually lessening 
needs of people that have again turned to nature, so that calling 
and business would become less and less necessary for procuring 
a livelihood. Such people would gladly forego all the expensive 
pleasures and indulgences of our present civilization and society, 
the many costly dresses, etc. Many could, by such investments, 
again create the most beautiful, the happiest, independent and free 
careers for their children. Acquaintances and friends could in 
this way also be helped. 

The return to nature can in this way be made possible to 
people with scanty or no means at all, since capitalists are always 
willing to advance money at a low rate of interest on land that 
is to be devoted to fruit-culture, and is thus sure to rise in value 
from year to year. 

The chief need to-day is that people should again withdraw 
from the great cities, the hot-beds of everything unnatural, of all 
disease and corruption. If one were in a condition to avoid 
even the vicinity of great cities, and live entirely in the country, 
that, of course, would be best. In the country true human happi- 
ness, in complete simplicity and frugality, is again attainable. 
But if possible the spot for such a blessed retreat ought to be 
chosen near some woods, in the midst of beautiful nature. In the 
woods man again finds his home; here alone many a hunger and 
longing of man can again be satisfied. 

It is important that there should always be several friends 
and comrades, to co-operate in creating for themselves a pure, 
noble nature-life, in the manner described. For in the first place 
men must be in a position to cultivate friendship and love, for 



— 264 — 

without this they can never gain anything for themselves, and 
never be happy and blest. 

In this way the return of humanity to nature must proceed 
gradually, in perfect quiet, without violent changes, without de- 
struction and revolution. 

Goethe's Doctor Faust sought all his happiness and well- 
being in science. He did not find it there, however. Lamenting 
and despairing he breaks out into the words : 

"I've studied now Philosophy 
And Jurisprudence, Medicine — 
And even, alas ! Theology, — 
From end to end, with labor keen, 
And here, poor fool ! with all my lore 
I stand, no wiser than before, 



And see that nothing can be known ! 
That knowledge cuts me to the bone." 

• The learned Faust is only thirty years of age, still young, 
therefore, but thoroughly sick in body and soul.* 

Faust now surrenders himself to the devil, who appears to 
him in the person of Mephistopheles. He introduces Faust to 



*On the first Easter day Faust takes a walk with his Famulus 
Wagner. Here we have the man of science striving for something- 
higher, who is in vain looking for happiness, and the dry, case-hard- 
ened scholar. 

"That brain, alone, not loses hope, whose device is 
To stick in shallow trash for evermore, — 
Which digs with eager hand for buried ore, 
And, when it finds an angle-worm, rejoices!" 

Round about the two scholars the populace makes merry and shouts 
in excessive glee. Even the people, with their unnatural mode of life, 
are strangers to the quiet, noble joys of the purely natural man. 
But still this boisterously merry populace comes closer to our hearts 
than the two enervated, obtuse, speculating and disputing scholars. 



— 265 — 

all the sensual pleasures of civilized man, and at times causes 
illusive visions to appear before him. 

But neither in this way does Faust find rest and content- 
ment; ever new desires only are aroused in him. Soon Faust 
sighs : 

"Thus in desire I hasten to enjoyment, 
And in enjoyment pine to feel desire.'' 

Mephistopheles also offers Faust a magic potion, in order to 
imbue him again with pleasure in life, similar to the way in 
which man tries to put himself into a brief intoxication by the 
use of alcohol. When, for the purpose Mephistopheles leads 
Faust to the witches in the witches' kitchen, the latter asks : 

"I shall recover, dost thou tell me, 

Through this insane, chaotic play? 
From this old hag shall I demand assistance? 

And will her foul mess take away 
Full thirty years from my existence? 

Woe's me, canst thou naught better find ! 
Another baffled hope must be lamented ; 

Has Nature, then, and has a noble mind 
Not any potent balsam yet invented?" 

Mephistopheles replies scornfully : 

"Once more, my friend, thou talkest sensibly. 

There is, to make thee young, a simpler mode and apter; 
But in another book 'tis writ for thee, 

And is a most eccentric chapter. 



Good ! the method is revealed 
Without or gold or magic or physician. 
Betake thyself to yonder field, 

There hoe and dig as thy condition; 



— 266 — 

Restrain thyself, thy sense and will 

Within a narrow sphere to flourish; 

With unmixed food thy body nourish ; 
Live with the ox as ox, and think it not a theft 

That thou manur'st the acre which thou reapest; 
That, trust me, is the best mode left, 

Whereby, for eighty years thy youth thou keepest !" 

Faust answers : 

"I am not used to that; I cannot stop to try it — 
To take the spade in hand and ply it; 
The narrow being suits me not at all." 

This remedy which is here given as issuing scornfully from 
the mouth of the devil, Goethe has also proclaimed ironically to 
all mankind ; that is, Goethe himself considered this as the cor- 
rect remedy, but did not wish to state it as an alluring one. 
Otherwise he would have described the life in nature, that can 
rejuvenate man, and alone lead him again to happiness, in a 
different way. 

The great genius sought for truth and light in the error 
and night of civilized humanity as only mortal man can seek for 
it. His Faust proves this. Nevertheless in this labyrinth in 
which he, too, was wandering, he did not find the thread of 
Ariadne, which alone could show him the way out. In his time 
he could not attain the knowledge of the true return to nature, 
through which alone salvation and happiness can come to man- 
kind. 

Goethe would otherwise not have referred so contemptuously 
to the union with nature, through a natural mode of life, through 
retirement and physical labor with unmixed food (raw fruit). 
Man is not to become a hermit; he needs at least the society of 
several people. But this offers enough opportunity to practise 
brotherly love, which gives life its proper contents and true 
happiness. 



— 267 — 

When man shall again live a natural life he will no longer 
stand below the animal ; he will not live "with the ox as ox," for 
he will then have risen above the animal, and will again have be- 
come a true man, the image of God. 

Raw fruit, this noblest result, which nature produces in the 
vegetable kingdom, this living food, is, as I have repeatedly 
said, the very foundation upon which the ennobling of man, his 
elevation to something higher, can take place. Yes, if the great 
Goethe were living to-day, when the time for the redemption of 
man is about to fulfil itself, he would put his wonderful muse 
into the service of the great, holy cause, and would preach and 
sing of a natural mode of life. Goethe would then not have led 
his Faust, who despaired of science, along the path of destruc- 
tion with the devil ; he would, on the contrary, have rescued him 
from despair by leading him back to nature. Goethe, too, was 
seeking for the true salvation of the soul, but he did not recog- 
nize and find it upon earth. 

When sweet Gretchen, Faust's beloved, asked him how he 
stood with God and religion, he answered : 

"Leave that; my child! Thou knowest my love is tender; 

For love, my blood and life would I surrender, 

And as for Faith and Church, I grant to each his own." 

"My darling, who shall dare 

'I believe in God!' to say? 
Ask priest or sage the answer to declare, 

And it will seem a mocking play, 

A sarcasm on the asker. 



"Hear me not falsely, sweetest countenance ! 
Who dare express Him ? 
And who profess Him, 
Saying, I believe in Him? 
Who, feeling, seeing, 



• — 268 — 

Deny His being, 
Saying: I believe Him not! 

jjc % $z ^i ;fc 

"Vast as it is, fill with that force thy heart, 
And when thou in the feeling wholly blessed art, 

Call it, then, what thou wilt, — 
Call it Bliss, Heart! Love! God! 
I have no name to give it ! 
Feeling is all in all." 

This is an evasive, entirely obscure answer of Faust, which 
does not satisfy the reader either. 

In the same way, however, Goethe himself went his earthly 
pilgrimage in error and in the dark, with respect to his God, and 
the salvation of his soul, until he ended it with the words : 
"More Light!" 

But who of all the great celebrated scholars, poets, musi- 
cians, painters, etc., has been happy? None of them found the 
way to salvation. 

Still I should like to pray to-day that the spirit of the 
great Goethe may help us to lead all men from error and all 
night to truth and light. 

I wish once more to caution sick people to do physical work 
only when it is suited to their case, and then to practise it always 
according to their strength and within reason. In all cases one 
must begin to work with moderation, and must never force one- 
self to it. 

Men to-day, from the laborer to the rich man, are forever 
multiplying their desires and wants; the more they have, the 
more they wish to gain. They continually demand more luxuries 
of every kind; they wish to rise higher and higher, to increase 
their business, to earn more and more money, in order to be able 
to give their children a still more scientific education, and to 
start them out in life with still greater riches. But all this for 
which people are incessantly striving, and for which they are 
forever laboring and working, are treasures which moth and 
rust corrupt, possessions which in reality burden us and our 



— 269 — 

children with ever more worries, with disease and disaster. In 
this way man must continually work and worry, and it would be 
of course entirely wrong, if he would demand of his fellow-men, 
or even the State, to take his work and cares from him, or if 
he would suddenly want to stop working. 

But if man returns to nature, if his demands and wants are 
continually lessening, he need no longer work so much, either 
mentally or physically. He can then enter into closer communion 
with nature, devote himself in love to his fellow-men and to God, 
and find his happiness in higher spheres. Neither does he then 
need to work all the time to fill his empty, barren life, and to 
forget for a time his dissatisfaction and despair. 

In that way, too, no one can find anything suspicious or 
wrong in the greater leisure of another one. To-day labor is a 
necessity. 

I mention this in order not to be misunderstood in regard 
to my conception of labor. 

In many cases where men cannot at once wholly or even par- 
tially lay aside the unnatural features of their work, as well as 
many other unnatural things in life, much is gained if they only 
again recognize the worthlessness and harmfulness of these in- 
fringements of nature, mental work, mental overburdening, all 
institutions of civilized life, honor, fame, riches, etc. They can 
then more easily renounce all these things, and will no longer 
strive after them with so much unrest and haste, and especially 
not worry about them. They will then also not be sad and sor- 
rowful when they lose them. 

This will suffice to free many a spirit, and many a glance 
will be cheerfully directed towards higher, true joys and posses- 
sions, and here, too, whoever seeks will find. 

THE FAMILY, HOME AND COUNTRY. 

The family is the smallest circle into which men unite. 
Marriage is the bond by which Church and State keep the family 
together to-day. But is this bond always a safe one ? is it always 
also the true bond which nature ties? Sensuality and money, 



— 270 — 

and other ignoble, sordid motives (high position, rank, etc.) 
very, often bring couples together to-day ; true love is generally 
wanting. Very often love is a violent passion, reared in sensual- 
ity and founded on selfishness. Passionate love wants wholly 
to possess another individual of the opposite sex. But passion 
is transitory. The Church and State bond avails nothing here. 

Thus we often have in marriage the external fair appear- 
ance with much hidden misery. 

In spite of the firmest ties that are externally drawn about 
marriage, the real bond between the couple is frequently a very 
loose one, and generally they are entirely unfaithful to each 
other. 

Not only he breaks the marriage vow who openly separates 
himself from his wife and who openly commits adultery. 

Jesus says : 

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou 
shalt not commit adultery: 

"But I say unto you, That whoso looketh on a woman to 
lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his 
heart."— Matt. 5:27, 28. 

Yes, if we could always examine the hearts of married people 
we would very often find underneath the external bond, inner 
void and desolation, unhappiness and unfaithfulness. 

The more men will again wander on the paths of nature, 
the more will they be bound only by true, serene, blissful love, 
which does not care to conquer, to possess, but only to give, and 
in this way will gain all. True love wants to be free, and may 
and should be free ; it cares nothing for rules ; it will not tolerate 
limitations and fetters ; it is pure and faithful, and requires no 
legal compulsion. Only in union with nature will men again 
find real, serene, pure, beautiful happiness in love, which is also 
of such great importance in the matter of health. Thus alone 
can the right bond be tied by God and for all eternity. 

"To yield one wholly, and to feel a rapture 
In yielding, that must be eternal ! 



— 271 — 

Eternal ! — for the end would be despair. 
No, no, — no ending! no ending!" 

— Goethe, "Faust." 

When children again lead a natural life, then love of their 
fellows can again be successfully cultivated in their hearts. But, 
above all things, the relationship between parents and children, 
the entire happiness of the family, can in this way become much 
more beautiful. Yes, many a sorrow, and distress, will then be 
spared the parents, and the children will experience great blessed- 
ness and joy in purest love for each other, and for their parents. 
All the members of the family will then be. closely united by a 
most beautiful tie; instead of the external appearance we shall 
find true, quiet, inner happiness, which all sorts of sickness and 
suffering can no longer undermine and destroy. 

Family ties are being destroyed more and more nowadays. 
Scientific education, the struggle for existence and a livelihood, 
for which the requirements are becoming greater all the time, 
continue to demand greater sacrifices. And for this the tenderest 
ties of heart and soul are rent asunder. 

Children are often separated from their home, from the 
loving hearts of father and mother, at a very early age. Far 
countries and seas often divide parents and children, brothers 
and sisters. But in the distance often a great longing arises, an 
ardent desire for home, for father and mother, for brother and 
sister. All the treasures that have been found in the distance 
cannot quiet this longing, this desire. 

But why has nature created all these tender ties between the 
members of a family, only that men should tear them asunder 
and cause themselves much suffering and woe thereby? No, 
these, too, are voices of nature that demand obedience ! 

The more that men again return to nature, the smaller will 
become their needs and demands, and all their conditions will 
improve. Then they no longer need to leave their homes and 
their beloved ones. Many a tear will remain unwept by the eyes 
of father and mother. 



2^2 

Man is no bird of passage and no Norway rat; nature chains 
him to the place where he was born — to his home. Why are men 
continually changing their abode? Cannot every one remain 
where nature has placed him? When men again build dwelling- 
places for themselves in the midst of nature, when they again 
lead nature lives of greatest simplicity, then again will they be 
drawn more and more to their home, for it will then be easier 
for them to find their livelihood there and true happiness. 

The individual families constitute the community, and these 
again form the nation ; they all have a fatherland. Every animal 
keeps to his pack, and you, too, dear reader, I would fain ad- 
monish : 

"Ans Vaterland, ans teure, schliess dich an, 
Das halte fest mit deinem ganzen Herzen." 

— Schiller. 

"To the land, so dear, of thy fathers, hold fast, 
Adhere to it with all thy heart, my son." 

But natural men are the most willing and the most inclined 
to stand by the fatherland. 

The Germans have attained their object of long striving 
and struggling; they again have a united German fatherland. 
But the German people are not happy for all that. Not the 
warlike equipments, not the great armies can in truth secure the 
fatherland; only the contentment and the strength of the people 
can do it. 

But the contentment, and the strength of the people, are 
being lost more and more, and they can be regained only by a 
return, on the part of the people, to simplicity and to nature. 

To-day the people mostly turn their inner discontent against 
the State and its institutions.* The people choose their own 



*Men always look for the cause of their misery outside of them- 
selves, although they are always themselves to blame. 

In the first place, diseases are ascribed to wrong conditions in 
nature. There seems to be a sort of belief that nature is forever on 
the watch for a chance to harm and even to kill us with air and cold, 
and by making us take cold. 



— 273 — 

representatives, who make the laws, and officials are appointed 
to guard these laws and see that they are obeyed. But still the 
people are always dissatisfied with the laws and the officials. 

On the one hand all sorts of demands are always made of 
the State nowadays ; every one is trying to derive more and 
more benefit from the State or expects some beneficent institution 
from it. On the other hand every one is always dissatisfied and 
refractory when the State demands the taxes which it needs to 
satisfy all the demands of the people. 

The whole life of civilized mankind to-day consists of con- 
tradictions. 

All the contentions and strife of political parties are a result 
of the inner discontent and selfishness caused by an unnatural 
mode of life. Every one thinks only of his own advantage and 
that of his party. Everywhere every one is anxious to take, but 
never to give. 

Politics are the science of patriotism ; they destroy patriotism. 

Only the nation that once more enters into close relationship 
with nature, contains within itself the secure power to protect 
itself against warlike neighbors, greedy for conquest, and to 
maintain its rights and ideals. 

God has apparently chosen the German people for a high 
mission. Among the present civilized States it is Germany where 
the natural method of healing has originated and is developing 
powerfully. Would that the German people might soon recog- 
nize this holy mission more fully. 

Germany's throne to-day is occupied by a Hohenzollern of 
singular energy, imbued with the rare ambition to work and to 
labor for the welfare of the people and the Fatherland, and to 
serve also his Saviour and his God. But, alas ' he, too, is but 
performing the labor of the Danaids. Would that an illumina- 
tion of the right way might come to our great Emperor, then, 
perhaps, true salvation could soon be brought to the Fatherland, 
and, moreover, to the entire present civilization. 



— 274 — 
IDEALS AND POETRY. 

Mankind to-day is without ideals; it is ever striving for 
material benefit. The cause I am here teaching could afford many 
an opportunity for cherishing the highest, holiest ideals. But 
we must work for the cause in the right way, through our own 
example and without any ostentation whatever. It is too great 
and holy a cause, and must therefore never be obtruded upon 
any one. I would like to impress the words of the great Master 
upon all my friends and adherents: 

"And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when 
ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet, for a testi- 
mony against them/' — Mark 6:11. 

I should therefore like to see all passion, all loud and violent 
championship of my cause avoided from the start. Of the Saviour, 
too, it has been said in the prophecy that He would not shout 
upon the market place and upon the street. 

Science has also destroyed poetry, for science has shot up 
like a weed and has stunted poetry. In all our artificiality to-da> 
it is but rare that poetry shows itself in the form of a weak talent, 
and this, too, is then pressed into a scientific form so that it loses 
still more, and becomes accessible only to a small part of the 
people. 

Goethe in his time had to realize that he would not become 
popular, and to-day, indeed, the people have no knowledge and 
derive no benefit from the poetry of Goethe. 

But the people must again have poetry; they must not be 
allowed to degenerate through the greed for gain, to sink into 
the commonplace and low. 

Is it not wonderful poetry that has been preserved to us 
from early ages, from the childhood of humanity and of nations, 
when men still lived in and according to nature? Let us only 
call to mind Homer's "Iliad "and "Odyssy," the Greek and Roman 
myths, Germanic folk-lore and myths, the myths of "King Ar- 
thur and the Round Table," of "The Holy Grail," of "Lohengrin," 
and "Elsa of Brabant," of "Tristan and Isolde," of "Fritjof and 



— 275 — 

Ingeborg," of ''Siegfried and Krimhilde," of "The Sleeping 
Beauty in the Woods," and of "Little Snow White," etc. And 
let me also remind you of the troubadour songs (Minnesingers) 
and of the works from former flood-tides of German and foreign 
poetry. 

In all of them we find real poetry. But this poetry dates 
from a time when men (even- poets) could not yet read and write; 
when there was no science as yet, like to-day. 

These wonderfully poetic works had partially been preserved 
to us for hundreds, even thousands of years, before there was any 
art of writing or of printing. 

Our people, too, will again have poetry if men will only 
return to nature Every one who will again live a natural life 
will soon find himself surrounded by a wonderfully poetic charm. 
Imagination, this sublime gift of God to man, will be gently re- 
awakened, and in many cases, where it was morbidly active, like 
a stormy sea, it will become serene and quiet, in this way the 
life of man is no longer barren and insipid, as the occupation with 
science makes it, but it is as if filled with flowers and perfume 
and surrounded with beautiful pictures and dreams. 

The poetic works mentioned above are by no means the 
most beautiful and the best that men have had and can have in 
the way of poetry, for they have in great part originated in times 
when men no longer lived entirely in accordance with nature, 
but had fallen from nature in many respects, particularly in re- 
spect to food (meat-eating, etc.). 

But I must still call attention to the most beautiful, most 
holy work of folk-lore poetry of all time, namely, the Bible, par- 
ticularly the New Testament. In the Bible we have a holy poem 
of the people, which did not arise from a wild, excited fancy, 
and therefore does not cause our soul to vibrate in restless undu- 
lations and moods, but offers it delightful recreation and holy 
peace. 

But men to-day are wholly misguided and benighted ; they 
can no longer understand and comprehend the Bible, and can 
no longer refresh their souls with its magnificent, holy poetry. 



— 276 — 

But, dear reader, follow me still a little further; perhaps T 
can yet unlock for you the Bible as a magic fountain of holy 
lore, and perhaps you can then again believe and pray like a 
child, and then you will surely find again all the health of your 
body, your whole childhood, your youth, your whole happiness 
and earthly blessedness. 

Many things are spoken of and many ideas advanced in my 
book which are not found in other books on the care of health. 
But I believe that I have attained to a wider knowledge in many 
respects, in the school of my own severe suffering and need. 

Many most unnatural practices in the intellectual and spirit- 
ual realm are still overlooked to-day, but which are great obstacles 
in the healing of many diseases, particularly nervous diseases. 
If we can again lead mind and soul into the right channels, and 
bring men back to recognize the highest Physician, to whom 
nothing is impossible, and teach them to love; what disease can 
then still remain unhealed and what human misery can with- 
stand it? 



CONCLUSION. 

When I began to revise the fourth edition of my book my 
chief intention was to enlarge it with respect to spiritual influ- 
ences, and soul life in general. Now that this edition is printed 
so far, and a great part of my treatise on soul life is written, I 
have decided to break off here, and have the work appear in two 
volumes, each complete in itself. 

This first volume contains almost everything that was to be 
found in former editions of my book, but some things have been 
more fully elaborated, and much new matter has been added. 
If man is to be made healthy and good, body and soul must never 
be separated. The contents of Ibis first volume, however, deal 
especially with the natural care of the body; spiritual matters 
have been considered only in so far as they were necessary also 
for this part, while in the second volume the correct soul life is 
the chief consideration, which will be supplemented with matter 
pertaining to the care of the body only in so far as the exigencies 
of the subject demand. 

The part on soul-life will nevertheless become much longer 
than I had at first expected. In this domain I shall certainly pre- 
sent to the reader much more that is new and significant than I 
have done with regard to the care of the body. But not what we 
eat is of benefit to our nutrition, but what we digest. The same 
can be said of mental food. The first volume ought therefore 
to be read and understood first, and, better still, what is taught 
therein ought to be tried and made use of; then, indeed, we can 
again turn to something new, something still more beautiful and 
holv. 

These are the reasons that prompted me to divide the book 
into two volumes. Things that have been indicated in several 
places of this volume will therefore be found discussed in detail 
in the second volume. 



— 278 — 

With regard to soul-life, in the second volume, 1 shall at- 
tempt to deduce my proofs as thoroughly and as logically as 
heretofore, and likewise draw the final conclusions. For this 
purpose many points brought out in the first volume will be more 
fully elaborated. 

Here too, in the simplest manner and with the help of God, 
I hope to throw light upon many a dark spot, to teach men to 
again recognize and understand the "Word of God" correctly, 
and also to refresh and save many who are to-day sorrowful and 
burdened, and about to despair. Still many others I hope to 
lead from scientific delusions, from obscurity and confusion, many 
from self-deceit and sanctimoniousness, from self-conceit and 
pietism to true piety and godliness. 

The true natural method of healing and living and of caring 
for the body is the only true beginning of all good and the sal- 
vation of man. Likewise all true salvation of the soul, all higher 
blessedness to which men have hitherto aspired without this foun- 
dation, have been nothing but delusion, nothing but sham and 
deceit, never anything permanent and enduring, never anything 
thorough and complete. 

Also the immediate, direct care of the soul upon earth can be 
of real use. and carry with it real results and blessings only in 
union with nature. 

Tt is the safest thing in every case, therefore, to become 
acquainted with the natural method of living and healing, to 
open one's mind to it and adopt it. Both nature and God are 
mild and indulgent, in this respect, and do not demand too much 
at once. All the old beliefs, all the deep-rooted errors, the great 
number of unnatural habits to which men are now addicted, come 
into consideration. It is impossible to break with all of them at 
once, but a beginning can at least be made. 

Let us in the first place drop all unnaturalness in the treat- 
ment of disease (medicine, serum, operations, etc.) and direct 
our attention once more to water, light, air, earth, food and the 
natural human healing forces. I have shown sufficiently how 
everyone can adopt the true natural method of healing and liv- 



— 279 — 

ing in every respect, either partially or entirely, and think I have 
also shown how the transition can be graded so that each one 
can proceed either slowly or rapidly. 

Of course the sooner anyone can and does return to nature 
the greater ivill the benefit be both for his present state of health, 
or in all cases of sickness. 

Only by a return to nature does the soul also find the true, 
sure way to salvation. On the way to nature man also finds God. 
But all noble, high aspirations of the soul, the salvation of the 
soul, that have again been established in this manner, have a 
particularly great power of reaction on the body. 

Yes, trust in God, faith, prayer, hope, and the sum of all that 
is good, sublime, and noble, for which we can and must strive, 
love; all these, for which the natural mode of life alone gives the 
true foundation, and everything that they revive and effect in us, 
reacts upon the sick body with wonderfully healing power. It 
is particularly on account of his more highly developed soul that 
man occupies a higher, a privileged position upon earth. There- 
fore if the true natural foundation is laid, man can once more 
exert a powerfully healing influence on the body through the 
soul. 

Of course we shall then at the same time enter upon the 
sphere of eternal, unclouded, perfect blessedness for which we 
need not wait until we reach heaven, but in which we shall al- 
ready participate here upon earth, and do so the more fully the 
more we have completely adjusted ourselves with body and soul 
to the true, eternal, divine harmony. Yes, it will be the more 
difficult to attain to blessedness in heaven the less we have al- 
ready reached it upon earth, and the unnatural mode of life 
does a great deal of harm even to the salvation of our soul, and 
obstructs our entrance upon eternal blessedness. 

With this first volume as a guide, everyone can build for him- 
self a magnificent edifice, but it cannot be perfectly completed 
and cannot receive its true dedication and crowning glory without 
the help of the second volume. 



280 



May this first volume of my work prepare many hearts to re- 
ceive the highest blessing. It will then have gained its best pur- 
pose. 

May God grant it ! 



Supplement 



THE JUNGBORN. 



ITS ARRANGEMENTS AND PURPOSES. 



{Extract from the prospectus of the Jungborn.) 

I shall not, as I had announced on page 9, here describe 
the Jungborn in detail, but only briefly. 

The Jungborn is for my cause what the foundation head is 
for the river. The practical realization of my teachings, the 
spirit that is cultivated here, the great successes that are here 
achieved in curing disease, are constantly to give new life to the 
cause. All those who at the Jungborn can at once re-enter into 
full harmony with nature, who can here for a time live a pure 
nature-life, quite removed from the world of artificiality, civili- 
zation and science, and become fitted with the true spirit of the 
method, can do very much to spread the great and holy cause. 

At the Jungborn civilized man has an opportunity to lead 
a pure nature-life with all its true delights, and its wonderful 
curative effects, such as never has been the case since the fall of 
man from nature. 

The Jungborn offers opportunities for the most extreme, 
most complete nature-life possible under present conditions ; it is 
a true model for the cause. 

The Jungborn is situated in the most beautiful part of the 
Hartz, at the entrance to the lovely protected Ecker valley. The 
most aromatic, delicious forest air prevails here — Hartz-air — 
and the visitor receives a wonderful, charmed impression of a 
grandly romantic nature. 

The guests under treatment live in charming little light-and- 
air cottages (and during the warmest months in Summer in 
light-and-air halls), surrounded by pines and other trees, and 
situated in large beautiful parks, which are surrounded by high 
plank walls so that everyone can at any time go directly from 



— 284 — 

his room (and bed, at night or day, in the rain, etc.,) to take 
a light-and-air bath, a sun bath, etc. 

In the light-and-air parks the patients can, moreover, sleep 
in the open air at night and utilize the earth power by lying on 
the bare ground, taking earth baths, going bare-footed, etc. 

The bath is taken in the open in the light-and-air parks (in 
small bathing tanks). The Jungborn has its own waterworks, 
the pipes of which are laid through all the parks, so that there 
always is an abundance of water for bathing and sprinkling. 

Besides two large parks for men and women respectively, 
and other small parks, there is an especially beautiful, open, gen- 
eral park (the "Friedrichspark''),* where patients that do not 
wish to be separated (married couples) can live in light-and-air 
cottages. 

The inhabitants of this park are, of course, at liberty to 
use the light-and-air parks for all purposes. 

In the "Friedrichspark" the other larger, heatable buildings 
(dining hall, etc.) are situated. 

The rooms in the light-and-air cottages are nicely furnished, 
although display is avoided. 

Earth and clay compresses are most extensively employed 
at the Jungborn. They are probably taken by every patient. 

Proper attendants are at the service of the patients for the 
purpose of rubbing and stroking the body by way of applying 
and transfering human curative power and animal heat in the 
most natural and effective manner. Sandals, health shirts, and 
clothes are always kept on hand, and it is left to the option of 
the patients to wear them or not. 



♦The Jungborn, especially the beautiful "Friedrichspark," was 
entirely laid out according to the plans of an eminent professional 
man, the Inspector of Promenades in Brunswick, Friedrich Kreis, after 
whom the chief park is named. But I wish to state, furthermore, 
that I am otherwise greatly indebted to the Inspector of Promenades, 
Fr. Kreis, for the sincere interest he has taken in, and the great 
services he has rendered to, the Jungborn. 



— 285 — 

In the large parks of the Jungborn are large fruit planta- 
tions. Their purpose is to adorn the parks, and also to give the 
patients an opportunity for physical work (even while taking 
light-and-air baths), but particularly to arouse the interest of the 
patients in fruit culture, and to teach them how much joy and 
pleasure there is in it. 

At the Jungborn the fruit diet is strictly observed. In the 
first place nuts and all sorts of delicious fruit : tree- fruit, berries, 
grapes, etc., according to the season, and some tropical fruit are 
always on the table. Besides this there is milk from pasture 
cows, and butter and bread, also cottage cheese, vegetables (with 
few potatoes), salads, and fruit preserves. 

The bill of fare of the Jungborn table is without severe de- 
privations, even for beginners, and I have convinced myself again 
and again that it always met with great approval on the part 
of all patients. 

Every patient has the choice to adopt a complete fruit diet 
or to proceed less strenuously (fruit with milk, butter, bread, 
vegetables, etc.). 

It is considered a matter of great importance that every 
patient is served and treated with kindness and friendly con- 
sideration. Great value is also placed on preserving the liberty 
and independence of every patient. 

The significance of powerful spiritual influences (brotherly 
love, trust in God, etc.) is greatly taken into consideration, and 
such influences are promoted. 

As for the rest, all the teachings previously described are 
most carefully observed. 

The curative successes are, of course, the greatest possible, 
and probably surpass everything else that has hitherto been 
achieved in this respect. 

I do not usually like to publish cases of cures, but have 
yielded to necessity to report a few. 

Whoever has followed me so far must know of himself 
what cures must of necessity be achieved at the Jungborn with 



— 286 — 

the purest, most complete and true natural healing method and 
natural mode of life. 

During the cool seasons (particularly during the Spring and 
Autumn, the greatest and best cures were always achieved. 

With a purely natural life, such as is lived at the Jungborn, 
diseases soon lose all their painful and distressing features. The 
difference between the sick and the well, therefore, soon dis- 
appears at the Jungborn. Thus it comes about that the social 
atmosphere is generally a very cheerful and happy one. 

The patients often claim that they feel as if they had been 
transplanted into a new world — into fairy land, as it were. 

The Jungborn is not only visited by actual invalids; many 
wish to escape for a time from our present world of hurry and 
unrest, of envy, ill-well and selfishness, and wish to see and 
learn here how to forestall and avoid the general ailments and 
misery of to-day, by natural healing and a natural mode of life. 
May God's blessing continue to rest on the Jungborn and its 
good, great cause. 

VOLUMES II. AND III. OF MY WORK. 

I had intended to include in this edition, with the descrip- 
tion of the Jungborn, everything that was involved in the com- 
plete practical realization of a purely natural method of healing 
and living, as well as the enlargements that were necessitated 
by a more complete effectuation of my views. 

But in preparing the work for the press,, such an abundance 
of matter continued to present itself that it seemed advisable, 
after all, to publish this one volume by itself for the present. 

For the present, and simultaneously with this volume, a 
second volume of my work goes to press. It treats of the Jung- 
born, and contains further and more explicit practical instructions 
for a true natural method of healing and living, as well as 
observations on its final objects and consequences 

The soul-life does not now appear in a second volume, as I 
had stated in the Conclusion, but will appear later in a third 
volume of my work. 



— 2S7 — 

In the second volume I ha\e described the Jungborn and 
its contrivances (the light-and-air cottages, opportunities for 
bathing, beds, clothes, etc.) to the smallest detail, in order that 
they may in this way serve as an example and model to others. 

I am in no wise desirous to call forth and promote business 
enterprises through my cause; my only object is to help everyone 
to be his own physician and to arrange his life, as much as his 
circumstances will permit, according to the Jungborn. 

But by giving a most explicit description of and full pub- 
licity to the Jungborn, I moreover wish to avoid future imitations 
of it by persons of artifice and cunning, with vulgar business tac- 
tics, and a confusion of purposes resulting from sordid actions. 
In this way institutions often arise after the pattern of the Jung- 
born, with an attempt to disguise the imitation, which are almost 
entirely unfit for use, and which consequently remain empty, as 
objects of ridicule and scorn for envious persons and opponents, 
and to the greatest injury to the cause. 

T have described in detail the course of treatment and the 
whole life at the Jungborn, as it naturally comes about as a 
result of close communion with nature, all the phenomena that 
appear thereby, and everything that must be observed and taken 
into consideration : the exact size of the bandages for the earth 
or clay compresses, minute directions for preparing and applying 
every earth compress, thorough careful instruction with regard 
to the application of human healing power, a description of every 
form of rubbing, stroking and kneading — so that anybody can 
at once make any kind of bandage or compress with earth or clay, 
and that human healing power can also be at once applied and 
practised without mistake by everybody and everywhere, for pur- 
poses of rejuvenation, and for the achievement of the greatest 
curative results. 

The second volume contains furthermore : A complete bill 
of fare and cookery book for fruit-eaters for every day and every 
season, with consideration of all fruits and side-dishes, such as 
milk, butter, bread, cottage cheese, vegetables and salads, which 
must certainly be very welcome to housewives. It contains, more- 



— 288 — 

over, directions for the treatment of milk, the preparation and 
cooking of barley coffee, and of the vegetables and salads that 
always met with great approval at the Jungborn ; the preparing at 
home of barley coffee, of the right kind of bread (not our present 
black bread, or white bread, or groat bread), of good, fresh 
butter, for the drying of fruit and vegetables, for the preserving 
of fruit and vegetables, etc. 

I have proved the entire erroneousness of the present gluten 
theory from clearly discernible processes in nature, and have 
taken great pleasure in showing a good, correct bread (Jungborn 
bread), since I know that we cannot yet generally avoid bread, 
even not among fruit-eaters, and that even vegetables, preserves 
and salads will disappear sooner than bread 

In the second volume I have also given information to fruit- 
eaters about: Foods and drinks for social gatherings, for feasts, 
for excursions and travel, for individual persons (in the army, 
at the university, etc.), for the plain simple circumstances of 
laborers, the necessary, most appropriate and best utensils for 
fruit-eaters (fruit-knife, nut-cracker, grating machine, stew-pans, 
etc.). 

I was particularly anxious to prove how business men and 
manufacturers to-day, engaged in an intensely nervous struggle 
for existence, in which there is nothing exalted or holy, no longer 
regard the health and life of their fellow-men and both con- 
sciously and unconsciously contaminate, adulterate, poison, etc., 
articles of food (butter, bread, cheese, all kinds of food-stuffs 
and articles of luxury), as well as cooking utensils (enamels, 
glazings, etc. ) . 

In this way I tried to expose the innumerable abysses that 
to-day, in spite of all health boards and police, are forever belch- 
ing forth poisons, and the many dreadful murderers that are 
constantly and everywhere lurking in the dark to rob and kill 
mankind. 

I have dwelt more fully upon the right, natural mode of 
procedure in extraordinary cases (sudden accidents and deaths, 
epilepsy, insanity, etc.), moreover on fractures (of bones, in- 



— 289 — 

guinal hernia, etc.). I have also more fully explained my posi- 
tion with regard to our present household remedies, herbs and 
homoeopathy, which many adherents of the natural healing- 
method still retain in good faith, and with regard to operations. 

I have thoroughly discussed the rearing of children and 
school-education, with its present perversities and great dangers, 
and have given a full solution of this question. 

The significance of making one's own clothes (even furni- 
ture, houses, etc.), also spinning and weaving and home industry 
in the future, have received my attention, but I have dwelt more 
particularly upon fruit-culture, upon its great importance and the 
new era of civilized mankind, full of health and happiness, that 
depends upon it. 

The question, why men are not healthy and happy, and 
whether and how salvation and redemption can come to civilized 
mankind, I have answered concisely, without subterfuges and 
without fear of the extremest conclusions, and have especially 
shown how every individual can at once find his complete sal- 
vation. 

After the preceding explanations, and expositions, many of 
the subjects considered in the first volume, as well as all the 
aims of our cause, could be more explicitly and clearly discussed 
and carried to their final culmination in the second volume. 

I therefore believed myself justified in painting the new era 
that is dawning for mankind truthfully and in the most glowing 
colors. I could here also allow myself to enter more fully upon 
the true soul-life, upon the most high, the most holy ends of all 
our thinking, imagining, doing and striving, The complete prac- 
tical directions for the true soul-life, the full exposition of this 
final purpose, will, however, appear in the third volume. 

The myth of the fountain of youth still unconsciously cher- 
ishes faint hopes in the German heart of a coming salvation of 
mankind, of true human happiness that is to be. 

The Jungborn is the first practical realization of the myth 
of the fountain of youth. In the conception Jungborn not the 
least thing is wanting for the first true beginnings of a complete 



— 290 — 

paradise of man sometime to be regained. Here, therefore, we 
can already see that distant goal — the perfect health and un- 
clouded happiness of man. 

For this reason the second volume of my work bears the 
title, "The Jungbom." 

I have divided my book into three volumes, especially out 
of consideration for those who are obliged to consider the price 
in obtaining the work. I have therefore so arranged the first 
volume, that everyone can accomplish a complete cure by follow- 
ing its directions. 

I advise anyone who can obtain only the first volume to use 
whole wheat bread rather than ordinary white bread. 

As for the rest the second volume will certainly offer every- 
one an abundance of the most important and useful material, and 
much that is interesting and surprising. It is certainly still more 
adapted to call forth the right perceptions, real confidence, and 
the greatest hopes. 

The third volume will finally crown the whole. 

Many a one, no doubt, will welcome the division of the work 
into three volumes, because it will enable him to acquire them 
gradually. 

The holy fervor that inspires me, and the great pains I am 
taking in writing and publishing my books, give me the firm con- 
viction that no one will bring a useless sacrifice in buying them, 
for I know that they will be of the greatest use and bring the 
richest blessings. 

SOURCES OF SUPPLIES. 

From the many inquiries that are constantly made of me I 
infer that it will be a favor to my readers if I state reliable 
sources, where many things that are necessary for fruit-eaters, 
who wish to live according to my book, can be bought. 

In case anyone cannot get the things in the place where he 
lives, I will name some business addresses that have served me 
well in my experiences of getting supplies for the Jungborn. 

A. C. Kuthe, Celler street, Brunswick, supplies nuts (hazel- 



— 291 — 

nuts and walnuts), oranges, lemons, figs, dates, dried fruit, table 
oil, dried vegetables, unblued sugar, etc. A price-list will be sent 
to anyone on request. 

Adolf Kotte, Wernigerode, keeps Jungborn beds on stock. 
He will supply complete Jungborn beds or single parts of the bed, 
bandages for earth applications, Jungborn shirts, Jungborn 
suspenders, as well as all kinds of porous cotton and linen cloths 
for health shirts ; also ready-made shirts of choice material are 
always on hand. Samples of the cloth and price-lists will be 
sent. 

Carl Wenning, Schuh street, 8, Brunswick, supplies all the 
rest of the things that cannot be had at A. C. Kuthe's and Adolf 
Kotte's. Jungborn sandals, lemon squeezers, fruit knives, Jung- 
born nut-crackers, nut grating machines, kitchen and table 
utensils, bath-tubs, especially the wooden bath-tub according to 
my design for the natural bath. 

As I have already stated, the wooden bath-tub is better 
adapted and more to be recommended for the bath, besides being 
cheaper than the zinc bath-tub. 

The inside size of this bath-tub is 1.10 m long at the top, 
and 60 cm broad behind, the length and breadth at the bottom 
being, of course, somewhat smaller. The inside depth is 21 cm 
in front and 27 cm behind. 

The tub is made of pine wood, notched with turned spigot, 
and zinced hoops and handles. 

Price-lists will also be sent on request. 

I have always found the parties here mentioned to be relia- 
ble and worthy of recommendation. 

SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT AND ENLARGEMENT OF 
THE JUNGBORN. 

The Sanitarium Jungborn is closed from Oct. 15 to April 15. 

Substantial improvements have been under way, aiming at 
the perfection, increased beauty, and enlargement of the Jung- 
born through the addition of new buildings and parks. 



— 292 — 

Adjoining the present dining and reception rooms a larger 
and more beautiful reception room, with a large balcony and ver- 
anda has been built. 

I have also introduced charming log houses in Northern 
style (likewise only of wood), which are firmly built, capable of 
being heated, and will keep especially warm. These, in addi- 
tion to the other comfortable apartments of the Jungborn (dining- 
room, reception-rooms) may be used in the cooler seasons for 
sleeping and living purposes by such patients who have but little 
animal heat, or who are confined to their beds. 

These log houses were likewise constructed according to a 
new plan of my own. The log houses consist of only two rooms, 
(elegantly appointed) a little larger than the rooms of the light- 
and-air cottages, and a beautiful balcony. Adjoining each room 
is a small space (for a nurse in case of need). These log houses 
are likewise meant to serve as models for the ends in view, and 
are in every respect more beautiful, more healthful, and alto- 
gether better adapted to their ends (brighter, quieter) than the 
warm rooms in the usual large houses, (such as inside the present 
sanitariums). 

In this way the sojourn is made pleasant to even the most 
spoiled and effeminate persons in the cooler seasons, spring and 
autumn, when the quickest and greatest results are achieved here. 

In the park for women and the Friedrichs Park new light- 
and-air cottages have been built. A number of pavilions have 
also been erected (at elevated points, etc.). 

All kinds of small improvements (water-closets, etc.), have 
been introduced. The parks (covering an area of over twenty 
acres) have been made more beautiful by new soft lawns and 
sandpaths (for going barefooted) by ponds (also small water- 
falls) and new plantations, flower-beds, etc., and one of the light- 
and-air parks has been considerably enlarged by the addition of 
some woodland. 

By the establishment of new waterworks in the light-and- 
air parks special provision has been made for the most healthful 



— 293 — 

refreshment during- the hot season (also for going barefooted 
on wet lawns). 

Besides the two principal light-and-air parks for men and 
women respectively, there are now also four smaller separate 
light-and-air parks to meet special requirements (children and 
patients who may at first feel embarrassed in taking the light- 
and-air baths, *. e., going naked). 

The magnificent surroundings of the Jungborn, with their 
rarely romantic scenery and their wonderful wood magic, have 
also been made more available for the use of the Jungborn guests 
by placing of benches, seats, etc. 

The great fruit plantations belonging to the Jungborn are 
continually becoming more productive of the most delicious, aro- 
matic berries and tree fruit, so that there is a constantly increas- 
ing supply of the most exquisite fruits. 

The Jungborn in its perfection may indeed be expected to 
satisfy the demands of the finest and most fastidious public, al- 
though many of the modern effeminating and enervating lux- 
uries, and nerve-straining means of amusement are still wanting, 
for, after all, the achievement of the greatest curative results is 
the main thing for the Jungborn. 

In the course of time also the most appropriate helpers have 
grown, so to speak, under my hands, who now, with the enlarge- 
ment of the Jungborn, are able to support me with their help 
and advice. An able woman, in particular, who has already 
proved her efficiency during the last Summer, has been secured 
for the management and care of the greatly enlarged department 
for women. 

The Jungborn has now been in existence for five years. 
All sorts of disturbances and obstacles to the new cause (also 
difficulties with the authorities) and other circumstances, which 
during this time proved to be hindering and paralyzing factors, 
have now been gloriously conquered. 

During all the difficulties that have hitherto beset the Tung- 
born, I have realized again and again that the Jungborn and 
its ideas are God's cause, and that I must therefore devote all 



- i 9 4 — 

my strength to it. But it is especially the wonderful cures through 
the simple, purely natural healing method of the Jungborn which 
I myself have again and again observed in the most difficult 
cases, where all other means, even those of the old nature-cure 
method, have failed, and which here often called out the greatest 
admiration, which induced me to perfect and enlarge the Jung- 
born. 




View of Butler from the American Jungborn, Bellevue, Butler, N. J. 

/ have also alzvays clearly realized hozv important it 
is for the patient if he can, at least for a time, be taken out of 
his ordinary circumstances and live in an institution in the closest 
purest communion with nature and in the real atmosphere and 
tinder the spiritual influence of the cause. Success will in this 
way come much more quickly and surely. 

The many institutions which have in this short time been 
established after the pattern of the Jungborn are mostly wanting 



— 295 — 

in many respects, often, indeed, in the purity of their methods, 
and in the true spirit. 

So, too, the magnificent idyllic site of the Jungborn, the 
pure balsamic air of the pine forest, etc., cannot easily be sup- 
plied elsewhere. 

The great popularity which the Jungborn has enjoyed from 
the beginning alone makes it possible for me novo to continue to 
make more and even the greatest sacrifices for it and its great 
cause. 

May God's blessing then continue to rest on the Jungborn, 
for everything depends on God's blessing. 

To all readers of my book, "Return to Nature !" To all friends 
and well-wishers of the new, purely natural method of healing 
and living, and to all sufferers, and all manner of sick I now par- 
ticularly recommend the Jungborn in its new and perfected form, 
as a never-failing source of health. May it continue to receive 
their abundant patronage. 

ADOLF JUST. 

Postscript. — I am, also, willing at any time to give advice by 
letter in special cases, for a moderate consideration. 



" (Bob's Blessing (Bainefc, Bll is ©btainefc." 

THE 

Organization and Establishment of 
the " American Jungborn." 



WHERE 15 THE FOUNTAIN OF REGENERATION TO BE 

FOUND? 

In the first half of the last century the Nature-Cure Method 
of to-day took its rise with Priessnitz, and then it has been 
gradually developed by Pioneers Schroth, Father Kneipp, Kuhne, 
Rikli, and others. 

In its course of development, slowly casting off all its former 
defects, the Nature-Cure Method has attained the stage of the 
uttermost simplicity and perfection in the Jungborn, and has 
reached there the highest limit. 

I founded and established the Jungborn according to views 
that are fully and particularly described in the book, "Return to 
Nature," and indeed from the first day of its appearance it met 
with a most enthusiastic reception. 

Man, the image of God, originally lived as every other 
creature in perfect union with God and was guided in all by 
God's voices (instinct, the senses and the conscience) in pure 
Nature without any artificial aid (Paradise). In this state of 
full happiness man wore no clothing whatever, he principally 
fed on what mother Earth produced voluntarily and in super- 
abundance, fruits and nuts. His home was the forest. Man 
did not suffer from sickness nor sin, nor did he enjoy life as 
animals do; but peace and abundance of heavenly happiness 
was his enjoyment. 

Yet man became disobedient against God. He did not want 
to submit any more to the stern Laws of Nature (the fall was a 



— 298 — - 

forbidden meal). Man did not feed any more on fruit; hunting, 
agriculture, cookery, etc., began, and he commenced to wear 
clothing and to live in unhealthy houses, cities, etc. Man no 
more remained in direct connection with the earth, which con- 
stantly bestowed upon him its refreshing and strengthening in- 
fluence (Antaeus- legend). In the same measure as man grew 
more unnatural and sinful, sickness and all misery arose. 

But even in this state man, when sick, for a long time fol- 
lowed his instinct and applied water in a certain form (the 
Natural Bath) and especially earth. 

The men were in a magnetical union. They could exchange 
their vital force and thus co-operate together. To-day if a man 
wishes to heal his sickness and become well again, he ought to 
unconditionally submit to the inflexible and unimpeachable laws 
of Nature as soon as possible. 

Man shall not taste or even touch medicines, poisons, nor 
undergo operations, etc., which are hallucinations of the restless 
man thrown into a dreadful labyrinth of culture and science. 

But one shall also avoid many remedies of the Natural Heal- 
ing Method of to-day, as Steam Baths, Electricity, and so many 
other artificial applications, since delusions and seeming results 
are obtained by these as well as by all poisons and perversities 
of nature, but in reality Health only gets injured. 

Erring Humanity tries to undermine in vain the immovable 
Laws of Nature. 

Man shall humbly return to Nature in the simplest way. 
To-day he naturally can enter into close connection with her only 
temporarily and partially, as the present efremination and fastidi- 
ousness of civilized humanity have to be taken into account. 
No severity nor painful privations must occur during the Cure. 
If the matter is rightly adjusted, Nature always guides the pa- 
tient joyfully and happily back to the beautiful land of Health. 

On these ideas the "Jungbom" is based; but where is it situ- 
ated ? 

The American Jungborn is situated at Bellevue in the sub- 
urbs of Butler, N. J., in the most beautiful part of the Ramapo 



— 299 — 

Mountains, protected from the Northern winds in the delightful 
Grace Valley. We have here a wonderful grouping of hill and 
dale, with romantic clusters of rocks and murmuring springs. In 
the midst of most beautiful bewitching Nature, we are sur- 
rounded by rare forest charms. Here blows the purest and 
most fragrant Mountain-air. 



i ^ j 



LIGHT=AIRXOTTAGES. 

At the Jungborn the patients live in pretty little so-called 
"Light-Air-Cottages" (see picture cut), built only from wood, 
and after an entirely new design; they stand in the open country 
in the midst of magnificent parks and forests, surrounded by 
pines, fruit-trees and shrubbery. (During the hottest time of 
Summer, Light-Air-Halls are used.) 

Each Light-Air-Cottage contains but two rooms, each left 
free on three sides. In the Light-Air-Cottages the atmosphere 
is not rendered unfit for breathing, as is generally the case in 
large dwellings where many people live and sleep together, or by 
stone walls, where miasma arises from sewers, cellars, etc. 

The Light-Air-Cottages for gentlemen are built in a large 
park for gentlemen, those for ladies in a separate Ladies' park. 
Both parks are surrounded and protected by high and solid 
board fences. 

Therefore everybody may live and sleep at the Jungborn in 
his room "sans-gene," the windows, doors, shutters, etc., al- 
ways being open, and thus breathe the purest and most invigorat- 
ing ozone of the forests. 

The cosy little Wood Cottages, which are provided with 
double, hollow board-walls, can be closed entirely and, in a cool, 
unpleasant temperature, are warmer and more agreeable than 
stone houses, which are always damp and cold. 

LIGHT-AIR, 5UN= AND RAIN=BATHS, 

From the Light- Air-Cottages one may at any time take a 
Light-Air-Bath, i. c, go without clothing, or later on dressed 



— 300 — 

with a Light -Air Bathing-Gown or Suit, especially just after 
arising from bed, which is most beneficial; also take a Sun- 
bath and run naked in the rain. 

In nice pleasant nights the patients may sleep entirely under 
the open sky and enjoy the full charm of silent Nature. 

In the Light-Air-Parks one does not feel confined in spite 
of the high planks, since the parks are very large and beautiful, 
and the grand romantic view of Grace Valley opens itself to the 
eye. 

"The Light- Air-Cottages at the Jungborn are situated right 
in the Light- Air-Park, and one may in this manner right from out 
his room take a Light- Air-Bath at any time, day or night, rain or 
shine, and is not in the least deprived of any comfort. Thus the 
best opportunity is offered in the Jungborn to take Light- Air,Sun- 
Baths, etc. Therefore the Light-Air-Cult is frequently and very 
diligently practised." 

Only he who has tried Light-Air and Sunbaths to such an 
extent as they are offered in the Jungborn, will experience how 
he is embodied by light and air, and how soon his whole system 
feels regenerated as by a new life, by a formerly unknown fresh- 
ness, and a rare feeling of comfort. The miserable fear of 
catching cold will soon be overcome. 

In a more open, large, very nice and universal park, called, 
"Regeneration Park," there are also Light-Air-Cottages for 
families. The Light-Air- Paries are, of course, at a free disposal 
to the inhabitants of the Light-Ail -Cottages. 

As the patients live in small Light- Air-Cottages that contain 
at least two rooms, and are scattered in the large parks, the 
Jungborn people are not as densely crowded as it is generally 
the case in Sanitaria. 

There are also easily heated rooms (dining-rooms, rooms 
for entertainments, etc.), at free disposal. All rooms in the 
Light-Air- Cottages and other Buildings are furnished without 
luxury, simply, yet elegantly. 



— 30i — 
FINE BEDDING. 

Special attention was given to wholesome, warm and com- 
fortable beds, i e., very fine quilts, made from best curled wool, 
and porous white covers. 

WALKING BAREFOOTED. 

Naturally, best opportunity is afforded for walking- bare- 
footed in the Light-Air-Parks as well as outside of them. 

THE NEW NATURAL BATH. 

In the Light-Air-Parks the new Natural Bath, which I intro- 
duced (no full- neither half-bath), and which so often showed 
its most beneficial and comforting influence, may also be taken 
outdoors amidst the fragrance of the firs. 

MASSAGE AND HEALING MAGNETISM. 

Most able persons are employed and always ready to prop- 
erly apply (especially directly after the bath) human healing 
powers (healing Magnetism and Massage, and transmission of 
Life- and Nerve-Power) in the most simple, natural and effective 
form. 

THE EARTH=POWER. 

The Jungborn patients may make the most of the power of 
Earth in every respect, %. e., when walking barefooted or naked, 
and sleeping on the ground at night, they can come again into 
direct contact with the earth which sends forth such a wonder- 
fully healing power to her creatures (legend of Antaeus). 

EARTH OR CLAY=PACKS AND BANDAGES. 

Earth, respectively Clay, this natural remedy of old, that has 
been born anew in the Jungborn, is extensively applied In the 
shape of bandages and packs at various skin diseases and ex- 



— 302 — 

ternal and internal ailments in order to reduce heat, sooth pain 
and loosen morbid matter, thus effecting the most startling cures. 
The Earth and Clay Applications, besides all the other treatments 
at the Jungborn, have met with great enthusiasm and were most 
favorably received and imitated, carrying with them the most 
wonderful results. 

FRUIT DIET. 

The Jungborn is the first institution where entire fruit diet 
has been introduced. To the various kinds of nuts, which must 
be deemed principal ingredients of human food, and to the mani- 
fold domestic delicious and aromatic fruit, as berries, apples, etc., 
some imported foreign fruit is added (Oranges, Figs, Dates, 
Grapes, etc., are used.) 

At the Jungborn the finest fruit is raised and gathered from 
our own trees. 

To those, that are not yet used to a strict fruit diet, the 
table offers the following: 

"The richest milk and butter from, the cows and goats in our 
pastures, a new plain and natural and very palatable bread (Jung- 
born bread), which is already highly in demand; stewed fruit, 
vegetables, with some potatoes ; salads ( from cucumbers, cabbage, 
beans, celery, asparagus, tomatoes, lettuce), soft pot-cheese, 
which is much liked with fresh berries and stewed fruit ; we also 
serve pure malt-coffee for breakfast." 

This variety in our bill of fare has always met the' approval 
of our patients. No more doubt should exist about the fact that 
nuts and fruit, on account of their nourishing, easy digestible, 
and blood purifying qualities are most important in human diet. 
Nevertheless, it is left to the pleasure of our patients, whether 
they will eat pure fruit-diet (raw fruit and nuts) or prefer the 
above variety in vitals (milk, bread, vegetables, etc.). 

FRUIT ORCHARDS. 

The extensive fruit and berry orchards, especially in the 
large Light-Air-Parks offer a fine opportunity to the patients 



— 3°3 — 

for outdoor exercise and farm work, thus teaching them a new, 
simple natural method of fruit culture (String-fellow's). 

OUR OWN WATER=WORKS. 

The Jungborn is lavishly supplied with water from our 
own works; thus there is sufficient water for bathing, sprinkling, 
etc. 

FREEDOn AND INDEPENDENCE OF THE CURE. 

Every patient has full liberty in his treatment and is taught 
independency in his cure. Thereby many oppressing bonds, 
w r hich erring humanity imposes upon sick people, vanish. Un- 
worthy slavery ceases. 

Here man is freed from so many banes of civilization; here 
he can study Nature in all its bountiful benevolence and majestic 
grandeur; here at Nature's bosom he will soon be delivered from 
all human ailments and suffering, and will find the fountain of 
new life and vigor. 

LECTURES. 

From time to time lectures about true, natural Healing and 
Health Culture are delivered; it is shown how the treatment 
is to be applied in all cases and professions ; also considering the 
great influence of spiritual life, and true Christianity in regard to 
sickness. From the beginning these lectures have been in highest 
favor witli the patients and of greatest benefit and blessing every- 
where. Thus at the Jungborn each guest is given the oppor- 
tunity to go through a thorough course of studies and will learn 
how to escape many dangers and errors for himself and family, 
and will be led to new joy and happiness, and to the highest 
blessings in time and eternity. To secure these advantages young 
men and women have already been recommended to the Jungborn. 
The living Word tells more than the written one. 



— 304 — 

It is, of course, at the liberty of the patients to partake of 
these lectures. 

LADIES' DEPARTHENT. 

The Ladies' Department is under the Direction and Care of 
Mrs. B. Lust, who has a staff of thoroughly experienced lady 
attendants. 

PHYSICIAN. 

To comply with the regulations of the State Authorities, a 
regularly licensed physician is in connection with the Jungborn. 
He holds his office hours at certain times in the Jungborn, and 
may be consulted by the patients at their convenience. 

NEW DRAWING=ROOMS. 

Adjoining the dining-room and amusement-hall a larger and 
more beautiful place for entertainments with a balcony and porch 
will be erected. 

A light and pleasant lecture-room, separated from all other 
apartments, will also be built; thus the audience will not be dis- 
turbed by any outride noise. 

NORTHERN LOG=HOUSES. 

There are also introduced more solid, charming northern 
log-houses, which are very warm and can be heated in extreme 
cold. Such patients who lack natural heat of the body or are 
confined to their beds, may, besides the other comfortably heated 
rooms (dining-rooms, entertainment-hall), use such houses for 
sleeping and dwelling purposes during the cooler season. 

A Log-House is also constructed according to my own and 
new ideas. It contains but two finely furnished rooms, and a 
pretty balcony; the rooms are somewhat larger than those in the 
Light-Air-Cottages. Connected with each room is a nice little 
alcove for a nurse or attendant. The log-houses shall also serve 



— 305 — 

as samples for above mentioned purposes. They are far prettier, 
healthier, lighter, and more quiet than the heated rooms in our 
city houses, and the general Sanitaria. 

Even the most delicate, and fastidious person will enjoy his 
stay with us , also in the cooler seasons — Spring and Autumn, — 
when the quickest and most successful cures take place. 

New Light- Air-Cottages are constructed. Lately a new 
system of canalization, including sewers and water closets is 
added, which has improved the sanitary condition and cleanliness 
of the institution remarkably. Some more new arrangements 
and small improvements were made. 

The parks are greatly beautified by laying out of soft, blue- 
grass lawns, fine sand-paths, most inviting for walking bare- 
footed ; ponds and cascades vary with beautiful flower-beds, and 
other plantations, leading into extensive woods. 

Besides the main Light-Air-Parks for Gentlemen and Ladies, 
there are four smaller Light-Air-Parks which serve for certain 
cases, where patients or children, who are somewhat bashful to run 
naked in the Light-Air-Bath, may be separated from the others. 

In the course of time I have been able to find most suitable 
help for house- and Sanitarium work; also people who assist in 
enlarging and developing the Jungborn. 

The Jungborn in its perfection can meet the most extended 
demands. 

The Jungborn has existed for seven years and we have glor- 
iously overcome all troubles and hindrances, which could be ex- 
pected with such a new enterprise, and which often restrained 
and partly paralyzed our work. 

In all difficulties which we have experienced so far, I have 
again and again recognized the great importance of our work 
at the Jungborn, and become convinced that I must exert my 
strength to the utmost to accomplish it. "The wonderful results, 
which even in severest cases of sickness were effected through 
the simple Natural Healing Method of the Jungborn, and which 
often have caused the greatest admiration of so many, have led 
me to enlarge and complete the Jungborn to such an extent." 



— 306 — 

The best and most convincing proof for the Jungborn and its 
work are a great number of institutions which were copied from 
our style; yet they often lack the purity and simplicity of our 
method, and especially the right spirit. 

Of special value to the Jungborn is its picturesque and 
favorable situation, the aromatic air of the Ramapo Moun- 
tains, etc. 

"The great attendance, which the Jungborn enjoyed from its 
beginning, enables me to sacrifice more and more to the Jungborn 
and its work." 

May God's blessing rest on the Jungborn for evermore. 
Amen! 

WONDERFUL CURES. 

Many people cannot imagine the beneficial and wonderful 
healing effect, a true connection with benign Nature has (without 
human errors) with the true spirit and the real psychical in- 
fluence. 

"But the wonderful cures, which are daily realized at the 
Jungborn from all acute and chronic diseases, as, catarrh, dis- 
eases of the lungs, stomach, liver, kidneys, throat and heart dis- 
eases, diseases of the eye and ear, rheumatism, gout, abdominal 
and female troubles, skin and sexual diseases, above all nervous 
diseases, etc. ; also many cases, which were proclaimed incurable 
and where all other natural-healing methods were of no avail, 
must doubtless convince everybody." 

In the "Kneipp Water-Cure Monthly' and in the "Naturo- 
path" a number of startling cures, which were effected at the 
Jungborn, are mentioned. 

"Therefore I want to call the attention of those who long 
have moaned and suffered and given up all hope, to the Jungborn. 
I want to recommend it as a Fountain of Salvation, which never 
fails, unless an extreme stage of disease is reached or some 
defect is there." 



— 307 — 

"During the cool seasons, especially Spring and Autumn, I 
have observed the quickest and most remarkable cures. The 
treatment is of such a kind, that il will be ever agreeable to the 
patient. But during the cool seasons the effect is generally a 
quicker one." 

The right connection with nature soon awakens the vital 
spirits of men and creates a rare joy of life. The humor of the 
Jungborn patients therefore is most happy and gay, as seldom 
found in a Sanitarium; this has often been observed. 

The duration of a cure varies considerably. Of course, a 
treatment at the Jungborn can never last too long; here we must 
say, "the longer, the better.'' The stay ot a patient generally 
depends on the progressing of the treatment. Some patients re- 
main at the Jungborn some weeks, others a few months, others 
again six full months ; the average time of the cure is from four 
to six weeks. 

ENTERTAINHENTS AND EXCURSIONS. 

Different kinds of entertainments are provided for; also out- 
door Bowling Alley, and Golf Links, exercises and plays, Lawn 
Tennis, Croquet, Ball Games (the latter also during the Light- 
Air-Baths, etc.). 

From the Jungborn, which is situated in the most picturesque 
parts of the Ramapo Mountains, beautiful excursions can be made 
to a number of lakes, as Greenwood Lake, Echo Lake, Pompton 
Lake, and others are within reach for a day's outing, and may be 
approached either by private conveyance or by railroad. The 
mountains are from 1,100 to 1,400 feet high. 

The view from the celebrated "Keck-Out" Mountain, three 
miles from Jungborn, is beyond description, and at once re- 
minds the spectator of the Alps in Switzerland. It is only of late 
that this northern part of New Jersey, with its mountain ranges 
and its attractive sceneries, has become the favorite spot of the 
people of New York and neighboring cities as a mountain air re- 
sort, being recommended for its pure, bracing and invigorating 
air by numerous prominent physicians of New York City. 



— 3o8 — 

GENERAL RULES AND PRICES. 

Patients, convalescents and those in need of recreation are 
welcome at the Jungborn. Epileptics, mentally deranged, and 
patients with contagious diseases cannot be admitted. To the 
latter we count consumptives, too far progressed, and those where 
a high grade of sexual disease is apparent. 

Admission fee and first consultation is $2.00 to $5.00. Board 
and treatment per day, $1.00, $2.00, $3.00, $5.00, and $10.00. Re- 
duced prices for children according to age. If two persons occupy 
one room, the rate will be less for each (a few very large rooms ex- 
cepted). The clay of arrival and leaving, counts for one full 
day. If more than one member of a family is admitted, consulta- 
tion fee is only charged for one. Visiting patients pay admission 
fee the first time only. Invalids, who need special care and nurs- 
ing, have to pay accordingly. For serving meals in private 
rooms an extra charge of 25 cents per meal or 50 cents per day 
will be made. 

A reduction of prices may be allowed in extraordinary cases. 

Lodging in the neighborhood of the Jungborn is offered at 
Butler and Bloomingdale at the rate of $1.50 to $2.00 per week 
or by the day in hotels and boarding houses. 

For those who dwell outside of the Jungborn, a fee of 25 cents 
to $1.00 per day is charged for the use of the Light- Air-Park, bath- 
ing, advice, etc., and an extra fee for treatments in the Institute. 

Dinner or supper for visitors, 50 cents. Breakfast, 35 cents 
each person. Payment to be made monthly, weekly or daily in 
advance. 

Butler is 38 miles from New York City and 17 miles from 
Paterson, N. J. 

It is to be recommended that everybody brings a common 
woollen blanket along; nothing else is needed in the line of bed- 
clothing. Jungborn Health-Clothing, shirts, sandals, caps; also 
woollen blankets, etc., can be bought here. 

An invalid chair can be had for free disposal at the Jungborn. 

Many ladies like to wear so-called "hangers." made of light 



— 309 — 

washable goods or porous worsted, coarse woollen stuffs (also 
Reform Dresses). The ladies can have their clothing made at 
home or buy it here. 

Simplicity in dressing prevails at the Jungborn. Every- 
body is pleased with the plain style of dressing regardless of 
fashion. It is well to remember this when getting ready for a 
trip to the Jungborn. 

The Jungborn is open all the year round. 

Applications should be made early enough to secure admit- 
tance and accommodations. 

Butler Station is 15 minutes distant from the Jungborn. 

Arriving guests will please mention whether they wish a 
carriage or the porter to meet them at the depot, for which a small 
charge is made. 

Visitors who wish to inspect the Jungborn, are asked to put 
25 cents into the poor-box ; this regulation is necessary to avoid a 
great crowd of visitors. The closed Gentlemen's and Ladies' 
Parks cannot be seen. Whoever wishes to inspect or visit the 
Jungborn may stop at the boarding house, which is situated close 
to the Jungborn. 

We kindly ask you to send us the addresses of friends, ac- 
quaintances and patients to whom we will gladly forward our 
Prospectus and a sample copy of our monthly magazine, "The 
Naturopath" free of any charges. 

BENEDICT LUST, 
Naturopathic Physician. 
Jungborn, Butler, N. J. 



-- I — 

POINTERS 

FOR TRUTH SEEKERS 

PLEASE READ THIS, INSTEAD OF ASKING US. 

It's taking people an unconscionable while to understand the first 
doctrines and principles of Naturopathy. They write us every day for 
"literature describing our S3 r stem" — they tell us how they have under- 
gone this or that "Method" of Physical Culture or Diet or Personal 
Magnetism — they beg us for "testimonials" of cures — they don't seem 
to grasp the fact that Naturopathy includes every movement for the 
betterment of humanity, from the grossest Physical Culture to the 
purest New Thought. After hundreds of requests to recommend the 
best Books discussing separate branches of Naturopathy, we decided 
to look the field over, select representative works, and give the public 
our exact opinion. Some of these Books we advertise elsewhere — 
some we don't — it makes no difference. We consider them among the 
very best, and suggest them for what you'll find in them, not for what 
we'll get out of them. 

NATUROPATHIC LITERATURE 

KNEIPP SYSTEM 
Kneipp's World-Famous Books. 

MY WATER-CURE. — Tested for more than fifty years, and published 
for the cure of diseases and the preservation of health. 1,000,000 
copies sold abroad. 100 illustrations, 389 pp. Elegant Edition, 
$1.65; stiff cover, 75c; paper cover, 50c. Special American 
Edition, cloth, $1.00; paper, 50c. 

THUS SHALT THOU LIVE.— Hints and advice for the well and the 
ill, suggesting a plain, rational mode of living, and a natural 
method of curing. 380 pp. Elegant Edition, $1.65; stiff cover, 
75c; paper, 50c 

MY WILL. — A Legacy to the Healthy and the Sick. This book ex- 
plains best the Kneipp Water-Cure System in all its branches. 29 
photographs from life. 388 pp. Elegant Edition, $1.65; stiff 
cover, 75c; paper, 50c 

CODICIL TO MY WILL. — The last of Father Kneipp's renowned 
works, giving lessons on diet and cooking, on the human body, on 
practical home gymnastics, on various diseases and accidents, with 
the treatment therefor. 408 pp. Elegant Edition, $1.65; stiff 
cover, 75c; paper, 50c 

THE CARE OF CHILDREN in Sickness and Health.— Contains in- 
structions for mothers on their own welfare, the rearing of chil- 
dren, and the curing of ailments incident to childhood. 260 pp. 

NOTE. — Kneipp books are published also in French, German, 
Italian, Spanish, Polish, Bohemian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Dutch, etc 
Price list and Kneipp-Brochure free on application. 



— II — 

Elegant Edition, $1.65; stiff, 75c; paper, 50c. Special American 
Edition, cloth, 75c; paper 50c 

KNEIPP'S PLANT ATLAS.— Illustrates the curative herbs recom- 
mended by Very Rev. Mgr. Kneipp in his works. Published in 
English, French, German, Bohemian, Polish, Spanish, Hungarian, 
and Dutch. Edition I (Albertype printing), $2.00; Edition II 
(natural colors), $3.85; Edition III (plain), 55c 

PRACTICAL GUIDE TO KNEIPP'S METHOD OF CURE.— Published 
in English, French, German, 10c 

KNEIPP APOTHEKA. — B. Lust. Of manifold usefulness in every 
household, 10c 

NATUROPATHY. 

NATURAL METHOD OF HEALING.— F. E. Bilz.— The compendium, 
par excellence, of the Naturopathic School. Every rational meas- 
ure, from Massage to Magnetism, is discussed in detail, both 
theoretically and practically. The Kneipp Cure, Nursing, Dietet- 
ics, Curative Gymnastics, Medicinal Herbs, Hydropathy, Helio- 
therapy, Hygeiotherapy — every conceivable phase of the Natural 
Regime; Disease, particularly chronic, sexual, and youthful, with 
their symptoms, origin, purpose, and specific treatment; Anatomy, 
as pictured in 9 adjustable colored models; Hygiene and the Art 
of Keeping Well. These are a few of the themes developed. A 
Cyclopedia for reference, a Text-book for study, a Manual for daily 
use. Over one million copies sold abroad. Gold Medal, 1899, 
German Hygienic Exposition. 2,000 pp. of text. 700 illustrations. 
2 Volumes, attractively bound, $7.50, $8.00 express prepaid. Pros- 
pectus sent for the asking. 

THE NEW CURATIVE TREATMENT OF DISEASE.— M. Platen.— 
The therapeutic thought of the scientific world translated into 
the American vernacular. The book is written by a German, but 
it breathes American spirit; the "atmosphere," to borrow an ar- 
tist's term, is pellucid, you don't have to grope through mazes of 
archaic circumlocution and technical terminology to reach the 
point. To begin with, Anatomy is not presented in the diffusely 
didactic orthodox style, that instructs a trifle, bewilders much, in- 
terests not at all. It is crystallized into eight anatomical plates, 
separable and dissectible, picturing the organs and systems of the 
human body in their entirety. With this as a basis, the author 
goes straight into the vital problems of everyday life — Eating, 
and Drinking, and the other unrealized potencies that twentieth 
century thought is investigating. In a word, Prophylaxis is the 
key — not the dreading of the beneficent germ-scavenger, but the 
forbidding and the clearing of the corruption-mass that feeds him. 
Diseases, particularly those incident to children and to womanhood, 
are treated in detail and by various methods of Nature Cure. 
Given the knowledge this book imparts and the spirit that radiates 
from it, and one should never know what it means to be weiary 
or weak or diseased. About 2,000 pp., many illustrations, 17 col- 
ored plates, 8 anatomical models. Two Volumes, handsomely 
bound, $7.50. Express prepaid, $8.00. Full descriptive matter 
mailed on application. 

RETURN TO NATURE.— Ad. Just.— Beauty, simplicity, directness, 



— Ill — 

power; a book not written, but evolved, not a treatise, but a 
life-experience. Years of the severest bodily ills, utter failures on 
the part of all the Schools of Therapeutics, despair that instinc- 
tively turned to Nature herself, the dawning of the Truth, the rea- 
lizing of its power, and the telling of it out of a full heart — such 
is the story of this plea for self-hood. You are not ready to read 
until you have studied the portrait of the man: most Nature 
Curists are materialists, but you feel, intuitively, that this man is 
an etherealist, and that the mental motive is back of the purely 
physical means. The opening pages soothe rather than startle, 
breathing a peace and a conscious poise that are very essential 
before the radical truths that follow. Then with kaleidoscopic 
swiftness the thought becomes revolutionary, iconoclastic-sensa- 
tional the ultra-purist would call it. For the sex organs are men- 
tioned as plainly and as reverently as the lover tells of the lips 
of his betrothed. The Just Bath is perhaps the distinguishing 
feature of the different physical measures. Based on a personal 
study of animals in their native habit, it is absolutely without 
analogue in all the previous range of Hydropathy. Unlike any 
other single water-application, it has a direct effect on Digestion, 
Sex, Circulation, Secretion, Exertion, and Nerve Power — the ele- 
ments most needing vivifying. In the opinion of the publishers 
"Return to Nature" is the simplest and the strongest work ever 
brought out in any language. Not so much the actual facts and 
treatments and proofs, though they are unique and invaluable, 
but the insight into the New Century thought is what makes the 
book indispensable to the thinker. If you possess, in every partic- 
ular, pulsating, energizing, empowering Health, you might not 
be interested — for yourself, and at the present. But not one man 
in ten thousand dees. And whatever stage you may be, simply 
locate yourself in the pages of a life-history like your own, and 
follow the book to the close. If you once get in touch with this 
man who has suffered, his vision will clarify yours, his heart-beats 
will quicken your own, and you will have the spirit of Mental Heal- 
ing with the measures of the Physical. Which is the ideal. 
$2.00 postpaid. A new enlarged Edition is in preparation. Price 
$3.00. 

THE NEW DOCTOR; OR, HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.— L. M. 
Biddle. — Therapeutic truths in every-day garb; Nature teachings 
in story-form. Attractive, convincing, inspiring, this book is es- 
sentially a help in the home, where the tyro, whether child or 
adult, needs a bit of a sweet persuasion, along with solid instruction. 
255 pp. $1.00. 

THE NATURE-CURE CAUSE AND CURE OF ALL DISEASES.— Dr. 
M. E. Rose C. Conger. — Twelve chapters of terse facts and telling 
statements. A bold assertion of the bolder beliefs, backed by the 
proofs of half a life-time in the healing vocation. Wholly antago- 
nistic to Drugs, Druggists, and Druggers. Includes studies of or- 
gans, systems, diseases general and special, causes and remedies, 
baths, gymnastics, dress, recipes, tobacco and alcohol, pregnancy, 
child-birth and child-culture. Testimony of 100 eminent physi- 
cians, etc., etc. Price $2.00. 

THE NEW METHOD IN HEALTH AND DISEASE.— Dr. W. E. Forest. 
— Naturopathy from a physician's viewpoint. But particularly 



— IV — 

Hygeiopathy, for the individual and the family. The demand for 
twelve editions is sufficient comment on the merits of the work. 
$1.00 

THE NEW SCIENCE OF HEALING.— Louis Kuhne.— A convincingly 
concrete exposition of the oneness of all Disease, and the conse- 
quent basal uniformity of treatment traces ailments from the 
embryo to the corpse, and shows just how impure blood retains 
its deadly character through infinite multiplicities of external 
form. The work is a detailed account of Pathological Genealogy, 
set forth in colloquial phraseology, and appealing to the reason of 
layman and physician. The author is an acknowledged pioneer 
in the field of German investigation, his methods have been imi- 
tated by innumerable plagiarist Hydropathists, and "The New 
Science of Healing" is his most representative book. Translated 
into 26 languages. 420 pp. (3rd Edition.) Price, $2.65. 

NATURE VERSUS DRUGS— A. F. Reinhold.— The classic Drug-De- 
nunciation of modern times. Revolution, Renovation, Reconstruc- 
tion are the clarion calls from every page. Not a book for the 
tradition-blinded, mealy-mouthed, convention-bound hibernator in 
antiquity. Not cold type dissertation, but a live, throbbing, thrill- 
ing appeal for knowledge and freedom and health and nature. 
The author eats microbes, sleeps head down, courts "catching 
cold," and makes habits of other fatal feats. Moreover, he tells 
you exactly why and how it is that unthinking, perverse modes of 
life trisect a man's earthly span. As an animal, man should live 
to 125; he dies at 35. The why and the how not are most ably 
discussed. The book goes to the extreme of radicalism, but that 
it reaches the depths of realism is attested by many statements 
from the very physicians it so scathingly arraigns. 546 pp., 174 
illustrations. $2.50. 

MURDEROUS FADS IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE.— Dr. M. J. 
Rodermund. — Written by the man who dabbled in the most viru- 
lent virus and then shook hands with family and friends, to the 
consternation of press and public. Vaccination is termed the 
"Prince of Frauds," and $1,000 is offered to the first man who can 
demonstrate its accord with Nature and its beneficence in a single 
case. Expensive laboratories, a life-time of research, and unwav- 
ering convictions are the background for this bold defiance of pro- 
fessional ostracism. Other fads, fancies and foibles commonly 
accepted without question are stripped of their antediluvian fog- 
gery, their mystic chicanery, their authoritative setting, and the 
scanty remnants of Truth are a pitiful witness to the world's per- 
versions. 654 pp. Price, $3.00. 

HYDROPATHY. 

RICHARD METCALFE, HYDROPATHIST, THE MAN AND HIS 
WORK. — This treats of the life work of one of England's most 
eminent hydropathists, enumerates and illustrates diseases suc- 
cessfully treated by him, includes treatises on Hydrophobia and 
its cure, and concludes with a most explicit Hydropathic Materia 
Medica. A valuable English interpretation of the Water-Cure. 75c. 

LIFE OF VINCENT PREISSNITZ.— Richard Metcalfe.— The tribute 
of a great English Hydropathist to the founder of the system. De- 



— V — 

scribes the early methods in detail, contrasts them with the mod- 
ern, presents numerous illustrative cases, emphasizes the cardinal 
principles of the Water-Cure, and closes with a comprehensive 
chapter of Bibliography. Illustrated. $1.75. 

THE ROYAL ROAD TO HEALTH.— Dr. Chas. A. Tyrell.— Advocates 
the Internal Bath. J. B. L. Cascade Treatment. $1.00. 

THE NEW INTERNAL BATH.— Dr. Laura M. Wright.— A strong and 
practical presentation of a matter commonly misunderstood, mis- 
considered, and misapplied. Especially helpful to the man whose 
fetish is a cathartic or liver pills. 25c. 

DIETETICS AND COOKERY. 

NATURAL WAY IN DIET; OR, PROPER FOOD FOR MAN.— L. H. 

Anderson. — A typical representative of the modern movement to- 
ward perfect nutrition. Mal-assimilation is assumed now as the 
basis of all disease, and the first therapeutic measure is the regu- 
lating of the dietary. This book will prove a valuable adjunct to- 
ward this end. $1.25. 

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE-BOOK TO NATURAL HYGIENIC, HU- 
MANE DIET. — Sidney H. Beard. — Is even more than the name 
implies. Contains essays on Hygienic Living, Moderation, 
Woman's Mission, Travelling Hints, Substitutes for Animal Foods, 
Health Recipes, and other vital topics. The author is a leading 
exponent of the golden-age tenets; that alone is ample assurance 
of the book's merits. 50c; cloth, $1.00. 

THE GOLDEN AGE COOK-BOOK.— Henrietta Latham Dwight.— This 
cleverly written book in elegant binding, was especially written 
to aid those who, having decided to adopt a bloodless diet, are 
still asking how they can be nourished without flesh. That flesh- 
eating is not necessary to the perfect health of man is attested by 
many eminent scientists. Reduced from $1.50. Now only $1.00. 

FRUIT AND NUT DIET.— O. Hashnu Hara.— Practical Hints upon 
natural forms of diet. 10c. 

EATING FOR STRENGTH.— Dr. M. L. Holbrook.— For the invalid, 
the student, the athlete. Shows the exact effect of various foods 
and drinks, the relation of eating to health and disease, and 
makes explicit and emphatic mention of important points omitted 
in similar works. Distinctly modern and American, and one of 
the few really popular books on the food question. $1.00. 

SCIENCE IN THE KITCHEN.— Mrs. E. E. Kellogg.— The embodiment 
of ten years' experiment and experience in the Laboratory 
Kitchen connected with the Battle Creek Sanitarium. A com- 
plete culinary manual, treating of the Pocketbook, the Market, 
the Kitchen, the Dining-Room, the Pantry, and the other de- 
partments of model housewifery. Over 800 carefully tested 
recines of dishes used at the greatest Sanitarium in America. 
$1.90. 

QUISISANA HYGIENIC COOK-BOOK.— Lina Kuepper.— The basis of 
cookery at the Quisisana Sanitarium (Naturopathic). Adapted 
menus for the different seasons of the year, and 300 hygienic 
recipes. 50c. 

WHY I AM A VEGETARIAN.— J. Howard Moore, A. B.— Hygienically, 



— VI — 

athletically, aesthetically, ethically, this plea for satisfying food is 
without a peer in all vegetarian literature. The facts are unan- 
swerable arguments, the thought is chaste and expressive, hut, 
more than all, the manifest motif is a love for all animal crea- 
tion. 25c. 

FRUITS AND HOW TO USE THEM.— Mrs. Hester M. Poole— Super- 
latively the best discussion of the perfect food. Fruits have a 
wider sphere of usefulness than any other single nutritive ele- 
ment. Antiseptic, laxative, depurative, soothing, sustaining, they 
are being made a daily delight, by people who think. The book 
is the best guide to their use. $1.00. 

FAT OF THE LAND AND HOW TO LIVE ON IT.— Dr. Ellen G. 
Smith. — The title of the closing chapter, "In a Nutshell," is an 
epitome of the chapters preceding. The prose of everyday eating 
is transformed into the poetry of ideal nutrition. Every cognate 
question is measured by the main point, and such seemingly 
foreign topics as Cooking Utensils, Social Requirements, Bakeries, 
Alcoholics in Food, and Farm- Yard Slaughter, each yield their 
quota of truth. The chapters on Vegetable oils, Fruits, and Nuts 
are especially apt. $1.50. 

FRUITS AND FARINACEA THE PROPER FOOD OF MAN.— J. Smith 
and Dr. R. T. Trail. — A conclusive corroboration of the New School 
of Dietetics. Lessened expense, increased vitality, prolonged 
longevity, and intensified enjoyment, are inevitable results at- 
tending the adoption of this system. Illustrated. $1.50. 

JUST HOW TO COOK MEALS WITHOUT MEAT.— Elizabeth Towne. 
— Quaint, picturesque, irresistible The author's experiences in the 
author's own style. A biography, a letter, a chat, a cook-book, and 
a sermon — all in one. 25c. 

MECHANOTHERAPY. 

THE ART OF MASSAGE.— Dr. J. H. Kellogg.— The standard work 
on the subject. Resume of twenty years' experience at the great- 
est health establishment in America, and among the most expert 
masseurs on the continent. $2.25. 

MASSAGE AND THE ORIGINAL SWEDISH MOVEMENTS.— Ostrom. 
— One of the few final authorities. A work purely scientific and 
practical, and unadulterated by modern mercenarism. 4th edition, 
105 illustrations. $1.00. 

PHILOSOPHY OF OSTEOPATHY.— A. T. Still.— The conception of 
the "Founder of Osteopathy" and President Kirkville's school. 
$2.50. 

PHYSICAL CULTURE. 

AMERICAN DELSARTE CULTURE.— Emily M. Bishop.— A true in- 
terpretation by a true disciple. $1.00. 

FASTING, HYDROPATHY, EXERCISE.— B. O. Macfadden and Dr. 
Felix Oswald. — Everyday knowledge, forgotten facts, strange 
theories, and fervid appeals, unite to form a most interesting and 
instructive book. Compiled by the foremost apostle of Physical 
Culture in America. $1.00. 



— VII — 

NEW SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL CULTURE.— Rohde and Haskins.— 
How to Box to Win, by Terry McGovern; How to Build Muscle, 
by James J. Corbett; How to Breathe, Stand, Walk, or Run, by J. 
Gardiner Smith, M. D.; How to Punch the Bag, by Gus E. and 
Arthur R.Keeley. Every author is at the pinnacle of his profes- 
sion, and the work may be taken as an ultimatum. The best 
book written for energizing the over-studious lad. $1.00. 

ILLUSTRATED HINTS FOR HEALTH AND STRENGTH.— A. P. 
Schmidt. — Purposely for Busy People. Not a calisthenic drill, or 
an athlete's vade mecum, but a very few vitalizing movements, 
with no appliances but a brain and a bit of muscle. The illustra- 
tions are particularly happy, and they illustrate, moreover. This 
book is a radical departure from the ordinary commonplace chaos 
sent out by physical culturists. $1.50. 

DELSARTE SYSTEM OF EXPRESSION.— Genevieve Stebbins.— A 
text-book and self-instructor in aesthetic physical training. Six- 
teen charts, nineteen sets of gymnastics, etc., etc. $2.00. 

BREATHING AND VOICE-CULTURE. 

POSITIVE PREVENTION AND CURE OF TUBERCULOSIS.— A. F. 
Reinhold. — Replete with startling facts and pointed advice. A 
companion book to "Nature vs. Drugs," though less of a philippic, 
and more of a manual. $3.00. 

DIAGNOSIS AND DELINEATION. 

MAN AN OPEN BOOK— CRANIOGNOMY.— J. S. Doolittle.— The im- 
manent truths of Phrenology, Temperament, Vocation, Develop 
ment, and the comprehensive study of the individual. Keen 
analysis, deft handling, apt illustration, attractive style, and, back 
of all, versatile intellection and humanity-loving spirit, distinctly 
differentiate this book from like publications. $1.00. 

FACIAL DIAGNOSIS. — Louis Kuhne. — No thermometer, no pulse, no 
percussion, no speculum, none of the common playthings of the 
orthodox diagnostician. Instead, a single element — knowledge. 
The result, not an axiomatic announcement of unexplained dis- 
ease but a foretelling of it, and a forbidding, and withal a clarify- 
ing of the whole matter. A book especially for fleshy people and 
for the anaemic. $2.00. 

AM I WELL OR SICK?— Louis Kuhne. 25c. 

THE ART OF BREATHING.— Leo Kofler.— The Basis of Tone-Produc- 
tion. Indispensable to Singers, Elocutionists, Lawyers, Preachers, 
and Good Health. Price, $1.50. 

CARE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE LUNGS AND MUSCULAR 
SYSTEM. — P. von Boeckmann. — A 54-page book, containing valu- 
able information in regard to Muscle Building, Chest Expansion, 
Proper Breathing, etc. Special chapter for women. Illustrated 
by cuts and diagrams. Author has largest and most powerful 
lungs in the world. — 11 y 2 inches expansion, 410 cubic-inch lung 
capacity. Book accepted by National Medical Library, Washing- 
ton, D. C. 12c. 

SPECIAL AND ORGANIC DISEASES. 
INTESTINAL ILLS— Dr. Alcinous B. Jamison. A book designed for 



— VIII — 

physicians, medical students, and non-professional readers inter- 
ested in the causes of disease. Proetitus (chronic inflammation 
of anus and rectum) is posited as the cause of costiveness, diar- 
rhoea, auto-intoxication, uric acid, anaemia, and the huge host of 
ills incident to faecal poisoning, and usually misunderstood and 
mistreated. A unique work, packed with thoughts and thought- 
incentives. $2.00. 
THE STOMACH: ITS DISORDERS AND HOW TO CURE THEM.— 
Dr. J. H. Kellogg. — Theories not speculative, but materialized and 
proved at the institution best equipped in America for studying 
the stomach. $1.50. 

MENTAL THERAPEUTICS. 

SCIENCE AND HEALTH.— Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy.— The doctrines 
of the founder of Christian Science. $3.00. 

MEN AND GODS.— C. C. Post— A bold, brilliant affirmation of Man 
Omnipotent. It batters straight at the bulwarks of dogma, creed, 
tradition, superstition; and you can fairly feel the narrowing con- 
fines of your own childish conceptions crumbling into the nothing- 
ness that fabricated them. 50c. 

PRACTICAL HYPNOTISM.— O. Hashnu Hara. 50c. 

HYPNOTISM EXPLAINED. Rev. L. Schlathoelter. 60c. 

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS.— O. Hashnu Hara. $1.00. 

JUST HOW TO WAKE THE SOLAR PLEXUS.— Elizabeth Towne.— 
A practical, analogue adaptation of Heliocentric Philosophy. 
How to control emotions, banish fear, develop self, breathe for 
health, and do other things the unfoldment idea carries with it. 
25 cents. 

CONQUEST OF POVERTY.— Helen Wilmans.— Not how to do it; — 
how it was done. The record of a vision, a revelation, a transfor- 
mation, as wonderful as the awakening of Saul of Tarsus. From 
the possession of a frail body, a life half gone, and twenty-five 
cents, to the ecstacies of superb health, the dictatorship of an en- 
tire town, the apostleship of a world-wide belief, and the reception 
of tens of thousands every year — that is the history of half a de- 
cade. The author is the leader, in so far as they acknowledge 
any, of the Mental Science advocates of America. 50c, cloth, $1.00. 

HOME COURSE IN MENTAL SCIENCE.— Helen Wilmans.— The 
Criterion Course — Twenty Lessons. $5.00. 

CONQEST OF DEATH. — Helen Wilmans. — Sensitized visionaries 
have at rare intervals hinted timidly at physical immortality. 
But the material side had atrophied, and evanescence was the out- 
come of the hypothesis. This dogma destroyer has already trans- 
lated most of her theories into cold cash and redundant health. 
There are idioms in the translation, but the spirit and possibility 
is just as valent for every other human being. If you want to 
pierce, in a measure, the penetralia of existence, get this book — 
and go alone to read it. 400 pp., 36 half-tones. $3.00. 

THE LIBRARY OF HEALTH.— Charles Brodie Patterson.— By the 
Editor of "The Arena." Perhaps the most popular of all the New 
Thought and Practical Psychology expositions. Excellent books 
for beginners. Three volumes. $2.25. 



— IX — 

CONCENTRATION AND THE ACQUIREMENT OF PERSONAL MAG- 
NETISM.— O. Hashnu Hara. $1.00 

MEMORY AND MIND. 

MEMORY AND INTELLECTUAL IMPROVEMENT.— O. S. Fowler — 
Applied to self-instruction and juvenile improvement. No recent 
work equals this in direct arrival at the root of the matter. $1.00. 

POWER OF WILL (KING ON HIS THRONE)— Rev. F. C. Haddock.— 
For students, teachers, professional workers, and all who desire 
self-culture and the mastery of life. In five parts: Theory and 
Life, Physical Regime, Mental Regime, Destruction of Habit, Con- 
tact With Other People. One of the few books that both instruct 
and inspire — deeply metaphysical, broadly practical, intensely 
vital. $2.50. 

MANHOOD. 

MANHOOD WRECKED AND RESCUED.— Rev. W. J. Hunter.— How 
strength and vigor is lost, and how manhood may be restored by 
self-treatment. In eight chapters: The Wreck; An Ancient 
Wreck; A Modern Wreck; A Youthful Wreck; A Wreck Escaped; 
The Rescue Begun; The Rescue Continued; The Rescue Com- 
pleted. A single book that obviates the humiliation of confession, 
the cost of consultation, the danger of medical treatment, the 
deadliness of neglect, and, beyond all, the fear of helpless ignor- 
ance. $1.00. 

CHASTITY; OR, OUR SECRET SIN.— Dr. Dio Lewis.— This was the 
author's favorite book. In it he thought he reached the highest 
altitudes of his life. The salient point in connection with the 
work is this: that the heartiest commendation and support has 
come from the Presidents of Colleges and Female Seminaries, 
where such questions are most relentlessly tabooed. Every deli- 
cate phase of the sex-life is discussed, unreservedly and exhaus- 
tively. And women as well as men who are striving for purity 
and perfection, cannot afford to be without such a guide. $2.00. 

MACFADDEN, B. A.— Virile Powers of Superb Manhood. $1.00. 

SHEPHERD, E. R.— True Manhood. $1.25. 
Address all orders to: 
B. LUST, 124 E4ST 59th STREET, NEW YORK. 
Books sent prepaid on receipt of price. 

JOHN WERWEIN'S NATURE CURE & FRUIT SANITARIUM 

Hammonton, Atlantic County, N. J. 

BEAUTIFULLY located on a lake, amongst Pine Woods, 
Fruit Orchards and Vineyards. Well adapted to the Just 
Methods. Prices moderate. Write for circular to 

JOHN WERWEIN, Hammonton, N. J. 



— X — 

WE HAVE TRANSPLANTED 

— ■ THE JUST=CURE^^ 

to American soil, where it flourishes even more cosily than in its 
native home at Stapelburg, Germany. The Fruit-Nut Dietary that Mr. 
Just so wisely prefers is more varied and appetizing here than in 
Germany, the periods of rain and cold are less frequent and trying, 
and the climatic conditions as a whole are quite superior to those of 
the Hartz Mountains. 

Seasons for air-sun baths lasts from April 15th to December 1st — 
almost till the snow-baths begin. 

If you can afford the time, money, energy, and anxiety that a 
European trip always involves, we advise you by all means to take 
the Ideal Nature-Cure as given in Germany by its founder, Adolph 
Just. 

But the voyage will cost you several hundred dollars, the treat- 
ment 8-20 marks daily, and the whole expedition will mean a vast 
amount of care and wear and worry. If you are a confirmed invalid, 
you will need an attendant for an ocean voyage; more expense. And 
if you attempt to be your own courier, you will find more annoyance 
and irritation going and coming than all the relief and recreation to 
be had from your stay. 

Now we don't believe any more than you do in the "just-as-good" 
substitution game. And if we did not expect to offer you something 
far better than even the German-born Just-Cure, we would not risk our 
reputation in soliciting your support. 

Perhaps the thing that differentiates us from typical Nature- 
Curists is our inveterate habit of teaching patients how to live so 
ideally that they will never be ill again. 

Our patients don't come back — except to bring their sick friends 
for treatment. 

The Institute in the heart of New York City has its attractions no 
less than the Sanatorium and Nature Camp among the peaks of the 
Ramapo Mountains. A most unique description of this "American 
Jung-born" at Butler, N. J., appeared in "Naturopath," June, 1902, pages 
251-254. 

This special number mailed for four cents postage. Treatment 
at Sanatorium directed by Mr. Benedict Lust and Mrs. Louisa Lust, 
Naturopaths. Weekly rates being $16 and upward entire expense. 
Charge less by the month or season. Consultation free at Institute. Ex- 
amination $2, treatments weekly or single, hygienic board for patients 
and transients. 

Prospectus and full information on request. 

SANATORIUM JUNGBORN, BELLEVUE, 
BUTLER, NEW JERSEY. 

or 

NATUROPATHIC INSTITUTE AND COLLEGE, 
124 East 59th Street, NEW YORK CITY. 



— XI 



PERFECT . . . 
. . . HEALTH 

How to (Set it anb 1bow> to Ikeep it 
B\> ©ne wbo Has it 



TRUE SCIENTIFIC LIVING 



"I have yet to meet a case in the treatment of which it has not 
proved helpful. I am convinced that its power to heal has no limit." — 
JOSEPH F. LAND, M. D., 130 West 126th Street, New York. 

PUBLISHER'S GUARANTEE. 



Any person who purchases this hook and adopts its teaching and 
follows it for one month, and is not entirely satisfied with the im- 
provement in his health, may return the book and the price will be 
refunded. 

References as to Above Guarantee. 

F. S. Jerome, V. Pres. 1st Nat. Bank, Norwich, Ct. 
N. L. Bishop, Sup't of Schools, Norwich, Ct. 



priCC ill XillCn, $l«00« Sent Prepaid on receipt of price. 



CHARLES C. HASKELL 

DEPT. B NORWICH, CONN., U.S.A. 

AGENTS WANTED. (Mention this Book.) 



— XII — 






View of Air-Bath Park for Men. View of Ladies' Air-Bath Park. 

SANITARIUM 

BETHESDA 

MILTON, MORRIS COUiNTY, 
NEW JERSEY. 

• • • 



This Sanitarium is conducted strictly in accordance with the 
laws of nature and the principles and ideas set forth by Adolph Just. 
Absolutely pure fruit diet. Milk and sweet butter produced on the 
spot. 

Ideal location. Pine Woods. Beautiful Lake for Boating and 
Swimming, and Creek for taking the Natural Bath. Without doubt 
the most lovely and healthiest situation in the State of New Jersey. 

The arrangements are most convenient and sanitary. Remarka- 
bly successful results have been obtained in cases of hopeless — so- 
called "incurable" diseases. 

Sleeping in the open air or on the bare earth or on grass; or, if 
necessary in light-and-air huts. Clay applications and air baths. 
Nervous diseases are most rapidly benefited by this treatment. 

For Prospectus apply to 



CHAS. LAUTERWASSER, 

252 LITTLETON AVENUE, = NEWARK, N. J. 

OR BETHESDA, MILTON, MORRIS CO., NEW JERSEY. 



— XIII — 

Stop Choking Your Pores— Teach Them To Breathe 

If You Live IN the Flannels of your Fathers, 
You will Live OUT the Ailments of Your Ancestors. 

Naturopathic Linen Tricot Health Underwear 

Manufactured by Lenz & Co., Boblingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. 
Is imported from Germany, for people who recognize German genuine- 
ness, and want to embody German hardihood. 

It is recommended by the Author of this book in his fifth German 
Edition, Father Kneipp ("Thus Shalt Thou Live," pp. 15 — 20), Dr. 
Baumgarten. and other distinguished authorities. 

If you are in touch with modern thought, the superiority of coarse 
Linen as underfabric need net be emphasized; and if you are not, 
no amount of reason or persuasion could convince you. 

Send a postal for a free sample. 

Transmits Perspiration. Stimulates Transpiration. Electrifies by Gentle Friction. 

Prevents Colds, Catarrh, Pneumonia and all Congestions. 

Improves with Washing. Wears Amazingly. Feels Good— No Scratching. 

Keeps you Warm all Winter, Cool all Summer, and Hardy all the Time. 

Makes you Want to Return to Nature, to Health and to Happiness 

PRICES FOR WOMEN'S AND MEN'S UNDERWEAR. 

Following prices are for sizes 32 to 40, 42 to 52; 50c extra for 
pair or $1.00 per garment: 

Undershirts, natural gray, Quality 50 and 60 2.25 

Undershirts, bleached, Quality 30 and 40 2.50 

Drawers, natural gray, Quality 50 and 60 2.50 

Drawers, bleached, Quality 30 and 40 2.75 

Filet Undershirts (neat, extra light and porous for hot weather) . . 1.75 

Extra heavy knitted for extreme cold climates 2.75 

Drawers 3.00 

Shirts, with or without collar 3.00 

Kneipp Linen-tricot socks, natural gray, No. 7, to 11.. 55c; 

11% to 12V 2 65 

Kneipp Linen-tricot socks, black, No. 7 to 11 70 

No. II14 to 12y 2 80 

Linen stockings for ladies, wheelmen, sports, etc: 

Gray, No. 6 to 9 80c; 9% to 12% 95 

Black, No. 6 to 8 90c; 8*4 to 12% 1.00 

Piece Goods, natural gray, 26 inches wide, per yard 75 

Piece Goods, bleached, 30 inches wide, per yard 85 

Yarn, Thread, for mending stockings and underwear, per skein.. .25 

Measure for Undervests and Shirts. 
1. Total length. 2. Circumference of breast (full measure). 3. Length 

of sleeve from middle of back to wrist (bend arm when taking 

measure). For shirts add width of neck wanted. 
Measure for Drawers. 
1. Circumference of body. 2. Length of leg from step to ankle. 3. 

Total length of drawers. 

Complete Catalogue of Kneipp, Just & Naturopathic Supplies, Free by Mail. 

THE KNEIPP AND NATUROPATHIC SUPPLY CO. 

General Depot for the United States: 111 East 59th St., New York. 



— XIV — 

NTJTS AJSTO FRTJITS 



THE DIET ADVOCATED BY THIS BOOK. 

What you eat makes you what you are. If you want to be dull, 
brutish, apathetic and finally sick, eat flesh food. If you want to have 
full use of all your mental, vital and physical powers, so that life is 
a delight and not a burden, eat the Diet the Creator meant for you — 
the natural diet, nuts and fruits. 

We have made it a specialty to extract all Nut Meats from the 
shells by means of machines ingeniously constructed and patented, 
so as to. deliver the meat pure and appetizing; we deliver all meat 
fresh extracted, always in first-class condition, and in a better and 
more perfect shape than anybody else can do. 

We recommend mainly for all sanitary purposes, "PECAN NUT 
MEAT," the finest nut meat in the world in taste and flavor, much 
superior in quality to walnuts, filberts, Brazils and peanuts. 

Of our Senior, Mr. R. C. Koerber, the originator of the Pecan 
Industry, the official reports of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture of 1896, 
say, page 60: "An industry was established a few months since at 
Austin, Texas, by R. C. Koerber, for cleansing, polishing and burnish- 
ing pecans, a business which he has since transferred to' New York." 
Page 61: "The industry of preparing the kernels, or meats, of pecans 
for market, though yet in its infancy, has assumed large proportions. 
It was begun by Mr. Koerber in 1884, and his books show that in 1887 
he prepared 20,000 lbs., and in 1890 more than 100,000 lbs.," etc. 

With similar machines which extract the pecan meat, we open 
hickory nuts, Brazil nuts, filberts, walnuts, etc. We also stuff fruits, 
dates, figs, raisins and prunes with all kinds of nut meat; we also 
manufacture Nut Marmalade, Almond, Pecan, Brazil and Peanut But- 
ter etc. 

WE OFFER FOR SALE: 

Shelled Almonds, Shelled Walnuts, Shelled Pecans, Shelled Fil- 
berts, Brazil Nut Meat, Hickory Nut Meat, Black Walnut Meat, and 
Pignolias. 

Salted Almonds and Salted Pecans, 

Arabia Dates, seeded and stuffed with pecans, walnuts, almonds, 
crystallized ginger, citron or orange. 

Turkish Prunes, seeded, stuffed with walnuts and pecans, crystal- 
lized. Turkish washed figs in original baskets of 1 or 2 lbs. 

Our ladies' ideal food, "Corona," in fancy wooden boxes; a combi- 
nation of selected fruits filled with nut meats. Raisins stuffed, etc. 

NUT BUTTER of different kinds. DATE BUTTER. NUT MAR- 
MALADE. 

All our packages are sealed with the name "Koerber" on it 

All goods in large and small quantities. 

THE KOERBER NUT MEAT COMPANY. 
156 Reade Street, NEW YORK. 

Incorporated under the laws of the State of New York. 

We send out specimen samples of our delicious preparations, 
Nut Meats, Nut Butters, Nut and Fruit combinations, jams, Mar- 
malades, etc., with price list, pamphlets and descriptions; postage 
prepaid upon receipt of 25c in cash, stamps or money order. 



XV 



THE KQEIPP CURE 



♦ ♦ ♦ 



My Water Cure. 



♦ ♦ ♦ 

A translation from the Reverend Father Kneipp's famous world 
renowned German book "My Water Cure." 

Kneipp's "Water Cure" has been tested for more than 65 years, 
and is at present known and adopted in every country of the world. 
The book, called "My Water Cure," has been translated into a great 
many foreign languages, and is a complete guide to regain one's health 
— without the use of any drugs or medicines. — Its 200 illustrations aid 
materially the applications of the various bandages, packages, com- 
presses and other healing components included in Hydrotherapy. 

A great variety of diseases are gone through alphabetically. — 
their cause and development described exhaustively, and then the 
mode of application of the Water Cure treatment is detailed very min- 
utely in each case. 

Kneipp also advocates in many instances the additional use of 
various herbs in form of teas. — All these herbs are described in his 
book, and to each description is appended the exact benefits to be de- 
rived from their use. — 

A part of the book is devoted to the description of several kinds 
of strengthening foods as Whole-Wheat Bread, Strength-giving Soup, 
and Honey- Wine. 

Part III of the book contains a large number of reported cures — 
all alphabetically arranged — with the exact mode of application in 
each instance; giving full particulars of the progress of each malady — 
manner of treatment and duration of Cure. This, part will prove of the 
very greatest interest to invalids and sufferers from all those dis- 
eases, enumerated and described in this work. 

In conclusion all the various Kneipp-Gushes are depicted with 
exact directions how to apply each one. 

Especial stress is laid upon the fact that this book covers every- 
thing pertaining to a Home-treatment. 

Anyone possessing this book will be enabled without the aid of 
anybody else's help to treat himself, his wife or children at home, 
without having need of having recourse to any other remedies except 
these Natural ones indicated in this valuable volume. 

The low price is another strong point in its favor, and we cannot 
insist enough on the advisability of sending for this book. Price, 
paper cover, 50 cents; postpaid, 60 cents. Cloth, $1.00; postpaid, $1.12. 

Published by 

KNEIPP MAGAZINES PUBLISHING CO. 
124 EAST 59th STREET, NEW YORK. 






— XVI — 

INSURE YOUR CHILD'S HEALTH 

FOR 50 CENTS THROUGH 

► Baby's Kneipp Cure « 

The American version of the German work that originally brought 
from German mothers a whole railroad car load of grateful letters. 
An actual fact — Father Kneipp filled an express car with the loving 
messages of mothers blessed through this little book. 

Of course, you might not want your child to be German all 
through. But you certainly can't improve on the splendid German 
sturdiness of the youth born and reared under the Kneipp regime. 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox eulogized this system in the New York 
"Evening Journal," September 5, 1901 — and she ought to be good 
enough company for ordinary folks. 

You won't have any conception of what ideal childhood means, 
till you read this book. It is not enough to prevent absolutely the 
possibility of all the so-called "Diseases of Children," to rescue your 
little ones from the frightful mortality that threatens child-life, to save 
the mammoth doctor-bills that croup and measles and whooping-cough 
entail. 

That would seem to be your money's worth — for 50 cents. 

But that's only a fractional part of what this book includes. 

A perfectly strong, active, vigorous babe, all sunshine and sweet- 
ness and smiles, cooing and crowing, with never a tear or wail till 
it learns the perpetual laugh that a healthy child can't repress; a 
beautiful body, glowing with radiant life, the keenest of brains dis- 
criminating truth in a way that makes education a delight, and a 
divine little soul, longing to unfold into the power and peace of ideal 
manhood — is this a faint picture of your dream for your child? 

If you read, understand, and follow the teachings of this 
"Baby's Kneipp-Cure," and fail to realize your dream, you get your 
money back, and pay for the time you've wasted. 

Send for detailed table of Contents. Roughly it is thus: — Part I, 
Advice to prospective parents, mother's food, dress, baths, etc., soul- 
culture; Part II, Care for children in health; all about sleeping, eating, 
clothing, teething, playing, working, studying, maturing — from hour of 
birth to period of puberty. Part III, Care of children in sickness; 
Nature treatment of 100 diseases of Babyhood, Childhood, and Youth, 
from Toothache to Scarlet Fever. Part IV, Ideal food for children, 
recipes and rules for natural, nourishing, inexpensive meals. What to 
Eat and What to Avoid. 

Paper Edition 50c, by mail 60c 

Board 75c, by mail 85c 

Clotb (Elegant) $1.65, by mail, $1.75 

If you're merely curious, perhaps the paper cover will be durable 
enough. But if you want to use the book, we suggest the stiff bind- 
ing. The elegant Edition would make a most sumptuous and sensible 
Betrothal or Wedding Present. 
KNEIPP MAGAZINES PUBLISHING CO , 124 East 59th ST., N. Y. 



— XVII — 

THE JUNGBORN BREAD 

IS RECOMMENDED BY ADOPH JUST IN THIS WORK. So far 

it is only baked at the Hygienic Bakery, 100 E. 105th Street, New 
York, in this country- It is baked according to original recipe of 
Adolph Just and keeps for sometime. Can be shipped to any part of 
the United States. Price, one pound loaf, 5 cents; two pound loaf, 10 
cents. (By mail, 25 cents for one pound loaf, and 40 cents for two 
pounds.) We sell the original recipe for making this bread for 50 
cents. With an order for one hundred pounds of the Jungborn Flour, 
price, $3.00, this recipe is given free. 

MINNESOTA WHITE SPRING WHEAT, the best in the world 
and fresh weekly, is used for 

LUST'S JUNGBORN BREAD. 

Washed, dried, ground and not separated after grinding, the finer 
bran, wholesome gluten and rich phosphates provide naturally the 
muscle-tissue and consequent strength and vigor ingredients for all 
mankind, weak or athletic. 

LUST'S JUNGBORN BREAD 

is made without fermentation, is absolutely free from fat and its last- 
ing sweetness is but that which is natural to the wheat. In the bak- 
ing-moulds only pure olive oil is used and largely due to this unusual 
practice the bread remains, days after baking, palatable, wholesome 
and free from distasteful, injurious conditions so common in "health 
bread" offerings. A single slice of 

MIST'S JUNGBORN BREAD 

contains more nutriment than an entire loaf of the light, white, spongy 
kinds usually offered as good food, and is generously beneficial to suf- 
ferers from Indigestion, Dyspepsia, Sour Stomach, Diabetes, etc. As 
a corrective in Constipation it will earn for us everlasting regard. 

LUST'S JUNGBORN BREAD 

with nuts or Nut Butter and your choice of fruits, will gratify, satisfy 
and maintain in good health any rational being. 

Fresh ground Jungborn Flour sells as follows: 1 pound 5 cents; 
10 pounds 40 cents; 100 pounds $3.00; 200 pounds or one barrel, $5.50. 
The Jungborn zwieback is the same as the Jungborn Bread, but it is 
prepared as zwieback in order that it may keep longer. It can be kept 
for any length of time, and can be shipped to any part of the world. 
Price for one package, 15 cents; one dozen packages, $1.50. We also 
have a nut fruit loaf, which serves as a substitute for cakes and 
pastries, etc. In the second volume of his book, Adolph Just speaks 
of such bread. It is composed of different kinds of nuts, fruits, figs, 
dates, prunes, raisins and Jungborn Flour. Price 2y 2 pound loaf, 25 
cents; by mail, 65 cents. 

Pure Extracted Bee Honey, per pound bottle, 25 cents; per dozen 
bottles, $2.50. 

Wheat Berries, (Grains) same price as the Jungborn Flour. 

Nuts, shelled and unshelled, choice Peanuts, best Chaberts Wal- 
nuts, Pignolias, Pecans, etc.; write for special catalogue and price list 
for Nuts and Preparations. 



— XVIII — 

We also have three kinds of ground nuts or nut butter, as recom- 
mended by Adolph Just, of which the No. 1 kind is made of peanuts 
exclusively. It sells as follows: 

y% lb. Jar 20 cents per doz $2.00 

1 lb. Jar 30 cents per doz 3.00 

4 lb. Can 80 cents per doz 8.00 

For price of Nut Butter made of Pecans, Almonds, Walnuts, etc., 
and of Pecans exclusively, see price list which will be furnished on 
request. 

We deliver our bread and foods free anywhere in New York City 
and Brooklyn. Branches are established all over Greater New York. 
Write for list of branches. Agents wanted all over the country. 
Special Prices for Jungborn Sanatoria. For Circulars and Full Particulars Address, 

LOUIS LUST & CO., 

S. E. Corner Park Avenue audi 105th Street, 

or 

Depot of Naturopathic Supplies, 

124 E. 59th Street, - - - New York. 

. . . Free Information Bureau . . . 

for our Readers, Patrons, Patients, Students and Friends. 

Impartial advice as to best choice of Naturopathic specialties. 

Revised lists of Sanitaria, Nature Homes, Vegetarian Restaurants, 
Hygienic Manufactures, New Thought Books and Periodicals, Local 
Practitioners, Masseurs, Physical Culturists, Magnetic Healers, and 
all firms, institutions and individuals competent to serve practically 
the seeker after Health, Truth and Success. 

Consultation gratis at office, 10 to 12 a. m., 7 to 8 p. m., every 
week-day. 

Correspondent inquirers should enclose 25 cents for stationery, 
postage, and clerical expenses. 

NATUROPATHIC INFORMATION BUREAU, 
124 East 59th Street, NEW YORK CITY. 

I Will Take a Few Private Pupils 

for my Preliminary Courses in Naturopathy, including Physiological 
Anatomy, Kneipp-Cure, Massage, Dietetics, Phototherapy, Just 
Method, Comparative Therapeutics, History and Biography of Na- 
ture-Cure Systems, and Practical Prophylactics. 

Being both a medical Graduate and Naturopathic Physician I am 
in a position to teach from experience the relative merits of Allopathy, 
Homeopathy, and Naturopathy. 

Physical Culturists, Masseurs, Nurses, Magnetic and Mental 
Healers, Doctors, Teachers, and Prospective Naturopaths are specially 
welcome in these Private Classes of Personal Instruction. 

Theories demonstrated in actual clinical cases at our Institute 
and Sanatorium. Hours for classes and individual tuition adapted to 
preference of students. 

Synopsis of Courses, with full information, 10 cents, stamps. 
BENEDICT LUST, NATUROPATH, 
124 East 59th Street, NEW YORK CITY 



— XIX — 

Cultivate a Taste for Kneipp Malt=Coffee 

One month will demonstrate its wonderful merit as a health pro- 
ducer. It will conquer and cure your nervous and dyspeptic troubles 
because it does not contain the poison caffeine. It combines the 
highest degree of nourishment and palatability possible to embody 
in a hygienic coffee substitute. 

No other hygienic coffee substitute in the world is so scientific- 
ally, so carefully, so excellently prepared, at so great an expense, 
and with such scrupulous regard for purity as Kneipp Malt-Coffee. 
Its great popularity is due to uniform high quality. 

Kneipp Malt-Coffee is put up in the whole grain which precludes 
the possibility of adulteration. Avoid coffee substitutes put on the 
market in the ground form. You know not what they contain. There 
is no coffee substitute as good as Kneipp Malt-Coffee. 

The surest way to secure the genuine Kneipp Malt-Coffee is to 
look for the portrait and signature of Father Sebastian Kneipp and the 
signature of the Kneipp Malt Food Co. on every package. 

Kneipp Malt-Coffee is never sold in bulk. 

If on inquiry your grocer does not handle Kneipp Malt-Coffee, send 
us his name and address. For your trouble we will send you free 
sample prepaid; also our treatise on Coffee, Its Use and Abuse. 

KNEIPP HALT FOOD CO., 
Department D. Manitowoc, Wis. 

HENRY MILLERS MALTED BARLEY COFFEE 

FOR TWENTY YEARS HENRY MILLER'S MALT-COFFEE has 

been known for its purity and superior quality. This coffee is put up 
in the whole grain — the malted barley — from the best Montana Barley. 
It has no other ingredients, nothing else is put in inthe process of malt- 
ing and roasting; it is simply malted and roasted barley. The writer 
of this book, Adolph Just, recommends especially the use of this coffee. 
It is just what Just, Sebastian Kneipp and Vincent Priessnitz recom- 
mend as the very best substitute for narcotic drinks. It is used by 
the followers of Naturopathic principles, and by Sanatoria all over 
the world. It is warranted pure and genuine. The United States 
Health Reports, Volume 14, No. 20, Nov. 29th, 1895, says: "Common 
justice impels us to say that the result of careful investigations 
stamps Henry Miller's Malt-Coffee as being of the highest value." 

The price of Henry Miller's Barley-Coffee is, five pounds 50 cents ; 
10 pounds $1.00. A sample package will be sent postpaid to any part 
of the world for 25 cents. On receipt of a postal, we will send, C. O. 
D., express prepaid, orders to anywhere within one hundred miles of 
New York City. Agents wanted in all parts of the United States, 
Canada, and Mexico. We also sell German Jungborn Flour and whole 
wheat flour. 

There is no other Malt-Coffee in the market that comes up exactly 
to the requirements of Adolph Just. 

Address orders, or write for circulars, etc., to 

HENRY MILLER, 176 Fulton Street, New York, N. Y. 

— Mention this book. 



— XXI — 
Healthy, Durable, Ctseap, Practical. 

MAHR'S POROUS UNDERCLOTHING. 

Recommended by Adolph Just and Physicians. 
Gold SlecSal Diploma of Honor at all Expositions. 

MAHR & HAAKE, Pinneberg, Germany, Inventors and Sole Manufacturers. 
Ulahr's Porous Underwear and Garments 

are a grand novelty of the very highest importance for the health 
of mankind. 

MAHR'S UNDERWEAR, made of best Egyptian Maco on the Corell 
weaving process, is in every respect the most perfect make ever 
known in the line of sanitary clothing, which is unhesitatingly 
acknowledged by prominent medical authorities. 

MAHR'S UNDERWEAR will keep its porosity in the use even after 
several times' washing, as the Coreli-made twisting of the threads 
absolutely excludes any their getting tight, whereas almost all 
other systems, offering knit-work, fail to accomplish that chief 
requirement of a natural underwear. 

MAHR'S UNDERWEAR acts very favorably on the system and the 
state of health in general, as by the almost imperceptible rubbing 
brought about by the Corell weft, the blood is made to circulate 
much better. 

MAHR'S UNDERWEAR excels by its soft, agreeable and cleanly 
wear as well as its great durability, protects the body from effemN 
nation, keeps its warmth in a cool temperature and may, there- 
fore, fairly be said to be the most perfect clothing system of the 
day. 

MAHR'S UNDERWEAR is airy in hot weather and absorbs the sweat 
by-and-by, and to a slight extent only, without feeling cold. 

MAHR'S UNDERWEAR is an excellent outfit for the tropics and is, 
indeed, already worn there by many customers to their greatest 
satisfaction. 

MAHR'S UNDERWEAR, on account of its great advantages, meets 
the requirements of all countries. 

MAHR'S UNDERWEAR is to be had in the following kinds: 

For gentlemen and boys: Shirts, day-shirts, jackets, sweaters, 
drawers, shirt-drawers, bathing- and air-robes, socks, cyclists' 
stockings, sporting caps, bathing breeches; also pants, coats, 
overcoats, etc. 

For ladies and girls: Shirts, jackets, shirt-drawers, night-gowns, 
breeches, under-coats, bathing-dresses, stockings, corsets, night- 
caps, waists, Reform costumes, etc. 

FOR CYCLISTS AND TOURISTS the sporting shirts, stockings and 
caps are a wear that meets a real want. 

MAHR'S CORELL WEFT is also manufactured for garments in mod- 
ern colours, thus offering an excellent stuff for ladies' dresses, 
sporting dresses, etc. 

MAHR'S GARMENTS are very well-fitting and elegant. 

OF MAHR'S POROUS CORELL WEFT there are furthermore made 
beddings, bathing sheets and robes, towels, etc., etc. 
Material also sold by the yard. 
Write for samples and price list to American Depot: 

BENEDICT LUST, 124 Bast 59th Street, New York. 



— XX 




DR. WALSER'S 

Ghinagpass Bippeokrepp 
Health Underwear 

Mesh Garments with two Layers. 



Manufactured exclusively by 

CARL MEZ&SOHNE IN FREIBURG, 

BADEN, GERMANY. 

Patented in Germany and America. 



Several Medals awarded at 

^= Luii 1 > lij_i_LL U=^ Hygienic Expositions. 

DR. WALSER'S RIPPENKREPP HEALTH UNDERWEAR 
made of the best Maco with Chinagrass ribs is the cheapest and most 
practical for adherents of the Just, Kneipp and other Natural Heal- 
ing Methods. The Rippenkrepp Health-Underwear holds a great deal 
of air, offers the best protection for colds, does not lose its porosity, 
does not shrink in the wash, only the linen-threads come in contact 
with the skin, at the same time being much more durable than the 
real linen. 

Prices for Dr. Walser's Rippenkrepp Health Underwear. 
Following prices are Gentlemen and Ladies (Sizes 32 to 40; 42 
to 52 cost 50 cents extra each piece or $1.00 per suit) : 

Undershirts, unbleached, with Chinagrass ribs $2.50 

Undershirts, bleached, with Chinagrass ribs 2.75 

Drawers, unbleached, with Chinagrass ribs 2.75 

Drawers, bleached, with Chinagrass ribs 3.00 

Shirts, with or without collar (can be worn without underwear) . . 3.25 

Sporting and Night-shirts 3.50 

Rippenkrepp-texture, bleached or unbleached, with Chinagrass 

ribs, width 22 inches per yard .65 

Above prices for sizes 32 to 40, 41 to 52 50 cents extra each piece 
or $1.00 per suit. 
Suits or Combination Suits to order $1.50 extra to above prices. 
HOW TO SEND MEASURE FOR UNDERWEAR: 
1) Total length; 2) Circumference of chest (give it as large as 
possible) ; 3) Length of the sleeves from the centre of the back to the 
wrist (bending your arm); For shirts the exact measure of the neck 
should also be indicated besides the above measures. 

DRAWERS: 
1) Circumference of the body; 2) Length of leg from crotch to 
ankle; 3) Total length of drawers. 

General Depot for the United States: 

Kneipp Health Store, 111 E 5 9th St , N. Y. 

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. 
A complete catalogue and samples will be furnished on application. 



— XXII — 

KAUF- UND VERSANDHAUS "JUNGBORN" 

GUSTAV JUST, Ilsenburg a/Harz, Germany. 

AMERICAN DEPOT— NATUROPATHIC HEALTH STORE 
for Jungborn Articles and Supplies. 

To meet the manifold wants and numerous desires of the public, 
I opened a "NATUROPATHIC HEALTH STORE" for "Jungborn Ar- 
ticles and Supplies. 

I shall endeavor to attend promptly to the wishes of my cus- 
tomers, and ask for confidence and support at such enterprise. 

My principle is to sell only HIGH GRADE ARTICLES of finest 
quality and at reasonable terms. These articles are especially recom- 
mended for the new, true and natural method of living by ADOLF 
JUST, Ilsenburg at the Hartz Mts., Germany. 

"JUST'S POROUS UNDERWEAR AND GARMENTS:" Shirts for gen- 
tlemen, ladies and children; also porous material, bleached and 

unbleached, for Jungborn shirts. 
POROUS MATERIAL FOR OUTER GARMENTS (suits, capes, light 

coats, etc.); ready made capes for men and boys. I do highly 

recommend very durable, porous material for suits in all colors. 
"HEALTH FOOT WEAR: .Sandals, sandal shoes, air shoes, very fine 

but not striking so they are suitable to be worn in cities and on 

any occasion; porous Socks in fancy colors. 
"JUNGBORN REFORM BEDDING:" Fine porous woollen quilts, 

mattresses and pillows, porous white sheets and slips, etc. 
ARTICLES OF FOOD: Nuts and Fruit (Filberts, walnuts, pine nuts, 

brazil nuts, pecans; dates, figs, oranges and bananas), Nut butter 

and Jungborn Wheat Bread, Fruit and Nut Bread (Fruitloaves). 

Malt-Coffee, Preserves, Fruit Juices, Dried Vegetables, and 

Fruit of the highest grade. 

LIGHT HATS AND POROUS CAPS. 

We endeavor to promptly fill all orders. Our extended sale en- 
ables us to furnish the best quality of goods at Standard Prices. To 
all friends and believers in Vegetarianism and Natural Healing 
Methods, I do highly recommend my Naturopathic Health Store and 
Supplies. 

We keep also in stock all other articles which are needed by 
friends of Natural Living and Healing. 

Bath Tubs for the Natural Bath; Mills for Grinding Nuts and 
Whole Wheat, Bake Ovens, Churns, Nut-Crackers, Fruit-Knives, 
Lemon-Squeezers, Clay, Literature. All Bandages for Clay Packs, 
etc., etc. 

Naturopathic Books and Pamphlets of every description, etc., etc. 
A COMPLETE CATALOGUE will be sent on request free of charge. 

We kindly ask you to favor us with an order. 

In Europe write to: GUSTAVE JUST, ILSENBURG A HARZ, 
Germany. 

In America to: 

BENEDICT LUST, 

124 EAST 59th STREET, - - NEW YORK 
or, AMERICAN JUNGBORN, Belleirue, Butler, N. J. 



— XXIII — 

P0R0U5 REFORM CLOTHING 



We Have Had from Our Many German Friends, who have 
already procured the first and second volumes of the German 
edition of "Return to Nature" so many inquiries for the porous un- 
derwear and outer garments as are now almost universally used in 
Germany, that we have decided to import such goods for the benefit of 
the American adherents to the Just method. These porous reform- 
clothes are made strictly according to the Just system. They are 
strong, durable and allow the air to penetrate to the skin, allow the 
excretions of the skin to pass off unobstructed, increase the circula- 
tion of the blood to the surface of the skin, whereby congestion of 
the inner, vital organs is avoided. The production of warmth and 
the giving off of warmth is normally regulated, and through the hard- 
ening process of the skin, the whole system is vitalized in conformity 
to the giving off of watery and fatty secretions. Anyone can take the 
Just Cure to the full extent at home in the city or country by wearing 
such clothes; thej r are also a great help in the treatment and cure 
of the different nervous diseases which prevail among the people. 
They are of great value especially to horsemen, hunters, gymnasts, 
bicycle-riders, physical culturists and other sportsmen. They are in- 
valuable for every man or woman of sedentary habits, who are as a 
consequence of faulty clothing sickly, suffering from nervous dis- 
eases, Anaemia, Jaundice, Gout, and Rheumatism, invaluable to all 
those who are habitual sufferers from Catarrh or Colds, and especially 
to all these whose daily vocations oblige them to sit much or who are 
apt to perspire too freely. 

This Reform Outer Clothing is made from the very finest and 
best, clean healthy wool from the live sheep under guarantee of the 
inventor. Wool which comes from the living and healthy sheep posses- 
ses strong "para- magnetic" electrical properties, (vital electricity) or, 
in other words, healing power. Wool of sheep that have died a 
natural death or have been killed lack those beneficial, healing pro- 
perties. 

Everyone interested is invited to write for samples, price list, 
etc., remembering that one cannot be a Justianer in the full sense of 
the word without wearing such clothing. 

HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE COMMON SENSE 

NATUROPATHIC AIR SHOE? 

A real boon and a blessing to all those suffering from hot and 
sweaty feet. May be had in Gray, Brown, or Black, made of strong 
knitted linen, have the best leather soles — and let the feet exhale 
freely, allowing the air free access to the pores. They are a Great 
Comfort to any one especially in hot weather and keep the feet warm 
in cold and cool weather. Look Neat and Stylish. Ladies' sizes $3.50. 
Gentlemen's $4.00. 

Sandals made of leather for Gentlemen $2.50 

Sandals made of leather for Ladies 2.25 

Sandals made of leather for Children 1.75 

To take measure put your feet firmly on a sheet of paper (with 
stockings on) and mark the outlines with a pencil; then with a tape 



— XXIV — 

measure around the foot where it is broadest, right behind the toes, 
and send these measurements with your order. Send for our free 
catalogue of Health Supplies, etc. 

NOTICE. 

Already Now, at the moment we are going to press with this 
volume of "Return to Nature" we have several hundred inquiries for 
the second volume of Adolph Just's great work. This book has been 
published in Germany and is called "The Jungborn " Besides this 
several parties have asked for the third volume, announced by Ad. 
Just in the first and second volumes and called "The Life of the Soul." 
Now, to all these inquirers, we desire to say that we have decided 
not to publish the second volume, at the present time, since Adolph 
Just in Germany has come out by this time with a fifth edition of 
his book, very materially enlarged and perfected. This covers the 
first and second volume in one book, giving their respective contents 
in one. We have therefore decided to soon commence the translation of 
this new book. The price of same will be $3.50 bound, or $3.00, paper 
cover. All of those who have already ordered the second volume 
will receive this book. (The book, "Life of the Soul," is in preparation 
by A. Just in German.) 

The contents of this Fifth Edition are not essentially the same, 
since it is the revision and perfection of four previous German 
editions. It is entirely re-written, revised and improved, and all the 
latest experiences and experiments of Ad. Just, which he has made 
in the last few years, are contained therein. It contains alphabetic- 
ally every disease and its treatment, gives also a, critic of the latest 
inventions and discoveries along the technical medical lines of the 
world. It contains everything that the second volume, published in 
the German language gives to the public there, regarding "The Jung- 
born," Cooking, Table Utensils, The Preparation and Keeping of Food, 
The New Simple Vegetarian Cook-book; it speaks about poisons in 
the different colors of wall-paper, clothing, etc., Science and Art; 
Clothing and Bedding; Clothing and Bedding for Laborers; Furniture; 
Agriculture; The True Natural Veterinary Healing Method; Feeding 
of Cattle; Vivisection; A New Voice Culture; Walking; Physical Cul- 
ture; Soul Life and True Christianity in Regard to Disease; Influence 
of the Body on the Soul and Spirit; Influence of the Soul and Spirit on 
the Body; The Bible and the Christian Faith; The Bible versus Dis- 
eases. The Bible and Natural Healing Methods; The New Paradise; 
Medical Science; Operations; Fear of Death; The Responsibility in 
Diseases; Homeopathic and House Remedies; Patent Medicines and 
Quackery; Sea-shore, Mineral and Air-Cure Resorts; The Old Nature- 
Cure; Everybody His Own Physician; The Diagnosis of Diseases; 
Immorality; Marriage; The Natural Method in Training and Caring 
for Children; School Education; Vacations; Vaccination; The False 
Return to Nature; The Table for Single Persons; Eating and Drinking 
when Travelling; How to Live Cheap and According to Nature, etc., 
etc. 

Besides this, the book contains, alphabetically arranged, a systematic 
index, which covers thousands of questions, and in view of all this 
it will prove still more than the present volume, the book of books 
on Naturopathy. Everyone who owns a copy of this book (first 



— XXV — 

volume) ought also to get a copy of this work. We hope in about 
a year from this time to bring it out in the English language, that is 
to say, some time in the fall of 1904 if a sufficient number of orders 
and inquiries have come in to warrant our publishing it and putting 
it on the market in America. All those who get this book will have 
no need of any kind of a mail course and will not be obliged to go 
from one specialist to another or pay heavy doctor's or druggist's ex- 
penses; you will with this work be entirely independent and your 
own physician in the true sense of the word. 

Since this book was put on the market Adolph Just in Germany, 
has published a book called, "The Jungborn Table," giving the combina- 
tions, preparations and keeping of foods for a simplified, new, true and 
strictly natural, healing and living method. Also "The New, Simplified, 
Vegetarian Cook-book," price 50 cents. This last book is in part a re- 
print from the new Fifth German Edition, and is intended for those 
who like to take up the natural diet. This little vegetarian cook-book 
is at the same time a concentrated guide for the true, natural diet, 
and unlike other voluminous vegetarian cooks-books, it gives no op- 
portunity for the user to injure himself by artificially prepared 
luxuries. It simply gives in concentrated and lucid form an ideal 
simple, vegetarian menu. 

This little book serves a good cause, and we most heartily recom- 
mend it 

There are several other books published or in preparation, which 
are mentioned by Adolph Just in his German book. Some of these are: 

"The Cause of Most Chronic Diseases, especially those of the 
Female Sex," by Dr. Rosch: Price 25 cents. 

"Infection Through Health, or Transference of Nerve Power," by 
Budenstedt. Price $1.00. 

"The Road to the Paradise of Health," and "Sunny Age," by L. 
Canaro. Price 50 cents. 

"The New Garden and Fruit Culture," by H. M. Stringfellow. 
Price $1.50. 

"Eody and Soul Cure," by N. Arthur. Bound, $1.50; paper, $1.00. 
All these books are in conformity with the Just method, and price list, 
circulars and full information regarding all the publications referred 
to here will be promptly forwarded upon application. Address, B. 
Lust, Naturopath, 124 East 59th Street, New York. 

In conclusion, 1 desire to say that I am about to publish a book 
which I worked out in German and have called "The Naturopathic 
Pocket Physician," being a manual on natural healing, covering the 
elementary principles of Naturopathy, the true, natural method of liv- 
ing and curing diseases by methods other than drug-giving. It covers 
every phase of Naturopathy and contains an alphabetically arranged 
list of advice for every disease. It is a book which everyone ought 
to have, and its price is but $1.00. 

AGENTS 

For This Book and Also for my Magazine, "The Naturopath" are 
wanted in every city and town throughout the country. We give a 
good commission to people interested in our work, more especially on 



1 3 f il£f 



— XXVI — Q,J' ^ *f 

this book. If more than one copy is ordered by anyone we give some 
reduction. We are looking especially for agents or representatives 
in India, Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa;/ 
in fact, everywhere where the English language is spoken. I may ^ 
say in conclusion that Spanish and French translations of this work y 
are under preparation. 

In the hope that this book may bring you Health and Happiness, 
I am, Sincerely yours, 

BENEDICT LUST, /< ■>■ 

124 E. 59th Street, New York City, Aug. 1st, 1903. **/b 



v<1 



